Never
by MuSiC HaTs
Summary: But if each day, each hour,you feel that you are destined for me with implacable sweetness, if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me, ah my love, ah my own, in me all that fire is repeated, in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

_Never Never rewrite, say whaaaat??_

_Yup, yup, it's me again, and the third time's always the charm, right? Will you stick with me for a third time? This time...I'll get it right._

**Disclaimer:**_ Own it, I do not. Enjoy it anyway, you will._

_Songs used:_

_'To You Feeling the Blues' by Rin and Len Kagamine_

_'Vanilla' by Gakt_

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* * *

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_Everyone has a certain thing that shapes their lives to the way they are now._

_The thing that shaped up my life was one, single word._

'_Never' _

_My childhood was filled to bursting with that word._

'_You must never do this, you must never do that, you'll disgrace our family if you do that. Never, never, never, never._

_Never be so shy, never act so weak, you are of our clan; you must always be strong, always be powerful, always be _perfect_.' Each time, every time, it was like a chain, wrapping me up, pinning me down._

_Holding me back; a caged bird, who is supposedly so free…_

_My world was called 'Never-never', because I felt like I couldn't do anything except breathe. But, from my youth on, I did many, many things that I wasn't supposed to do._

_I was never supposed to be so shy, so weak, so _naive_; I was supposed to be strong, confident._

_But I was the shyest girl in our class._

_For my blunders, I was disrespected, unworthy…_invisible. _And though my family knew almost every move that I made, I was able to slip into their blind spots, and do things that my family have never-will never- know. _

_Like when I'd fallen madly in love with the class-clown of our class-my best friend- in 7__th__ grade._

_Or, after our senior graduation party, when I lost my virginity to the same person in a haze of alcohol and heat. _

_I'll never regret that night. Never._

_But the biggest thing, a month and a missed period later, was when I found out that I was almost two months pregnant. Fresh out of high school._

_It was all because of one word; one small, insignificant word, that still effects me, even when I have my own apartment, away from Tokyo. Away from my home._

_But there are days; days when I wonder if he thinks of me at all, sometimes. Maybe he is. I'll never know._

_Ah…that word again. Even when I try to avoid it, it pops up anyway._

_I am Hinata Hyuuga. I am twenty years old. I am pregnant. _

_This is my world._

_~o~_

_February 28, 2008_

Club Kaze was extremely full right now, the murmuring of the conversations and the soft clinking of bottles and glasses sounding like the tide, flowing and ebbing away. Up front, the door quietly opened, and a young woman slipped in. She was small, all cream and roses, her dark indigo hair spilling over her shoulders, hanging down her hips. She looked at the club, golden with the lights, and smiled, her lavender eyes soft with familiarity. Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, she smoothed a hand over her distended stomach.

Her name was Hinata Hyuuga. Club Kaze was where she worked.

For almost seven months, she'd been singing at the club, and she loved every minute of it. She'd never met such nice people; they'd treated her like family, like she'd been living here all her life. Humming softly under her breath, Hinata moved over to the bar, where a man had just handed someone a martini. He was six feet tall, with shaggy brown hair, and when he raised his arm, Hinata could see the tattoos on his wrist, puppet strings trailing up his forearms. Just then, he looked up, and his face lit up, as he saw her coming near.

"Hinata!!" he called over the chatter, "come here, come here!! How are you?" She smiled, and a healthy blush filled her face, as he grabbed her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. "Kankuro," she sighed, "I'm alright…I had to go to the doctors again…just another check up…he says I'll have to be on bed rest soon…" She frowned as she said that; she didn't want to stop working…she enjoyed it so much…

"Uh-oh…Princess, how come you're frowning?"

Hinata snapped out of her reverie, as an arm wrapped around her waist, and she turned, looking into ice turquoise eyes.

Her smile, if possible, grew wider, "Gaara!!" she said happily, "how are you? Where's-"

"Heeeeeere!!!" A low, feminine voice hit her ears, and arms wrapped around her shoulders. Hinata sighed and closed her eyes, while she absorbed the love of the Subaku siblings. Forget bed rest; there was no way that she could ever stay away. "When she due, anyway?" Temari asked, poking at Hinata's stomach. She reached back, and tugged on one of Temari's sandy blonde ponytails, "well," she sighed, ignoring Temari's squawk of pain, "I'm about seven months along now…so…around April?" Gaara hummed thoughtfully, "that'll come a lot sooner than you think…"

Hinata turned, feeling Gaara's crimson hair brush lightly at her cheek. "It will come soon," she agreed, "but I'm…excited. I'm scared, of course, but I'm absolutely giddy, too…" She shook her head, "ok. Enough about me…where's Nezumi?" 'Nezumi' was the nickname for Gaara's fiancé, Matsuri. She could almost _hear_ the smile that spread across Gaara's face; this was monumental, because Gaara rarely smiled. "Ah…she couldn't come tonight…wedding stuff…" Hinata nodded, and untangled herself from Temari and Gaara's arms, "I guess I should go up now, huh?"

Tossing a smile over her shoulder, Hinata wiped a hand on her jeans, and headed for the stage, where she ran into another one of Kaze's employees, Sasori. He looked at her through his reddish-bronze hair, his honey-brown eyes glowing as he gave her a smile. "Hinata…" he said softly, grabbing her hand, "how are you?" He placed a kiss on her knuckles, and she blushed furiously, fixing her eyes on the scorpion tattoo on the side of his neck. "Only you and Kankuro are the ones who do that!"

"Only because we know how much it flusters you" He gave her a wink, and helped her up the stairs onto the stage.

Once her foot hit the stage, the entire club went silent, even the music was gone, and all eyes were on her. Everyone always enjoyed her performances; she was probably one of the reasons the club has been so full lately. Brushing her hair over one shoulder, she smiled at her attentive audience, and grabbed the microphone, just as the music began to play.

_~O~_

_Tokyo._

It was nine o'clock. It was almost time for him to go to work. And Naruto Uzumaki was lonely. He'd been lonely for the past seven months, now….

"_Didn't you know? She's gone. She didn't tell you?"_

Shaking the voice away, Naruto sighed, and rand his hands through his spiky blonde hair, his sky blue eyes filled with exhaustion. Slowly his eyes drifted to the fireplace to his left, to the picture in the center, the frame twined with gold and silver. It was a picture of the day when he returned from living in America for three years. Out of all his friends, Hinata was the one who'd reached him the fastest.

She'd pounced on him, tears flying down her face, as they collapsed to the ground, laughing and crying, wrapped together so tightly that they couldn't tell where he ended and she began. Naruto's frown deepened and he raised his hand, as if he was going to touch it, to run his fingers across the glass.

"_What are we going to do now?" She was looking at him, a lock of hair sliding over her face, blocking her eye, and he was extremely tempted to brush it away. He swallowed, trying not to stare at the exposed slope of her breast, or run a hand down her hip, the outline of the curve made much more prominent by the sheets wrapped tightly around her frame. He closed his eyes, and squeezed their twined hands, "I…I don't really know what to do" he whispered, "I just…don't." Hinata nodded, and slowly scooted closer to him, placing her head on his shoulder, "neither do I, Naruto. I don't know what to do, either."_

_'Ring-ring!! Ring-ring!!'_

The shrill scream of the phone snapped him of his reverie, and he jumped to answer it, placing a hand over his racing heart. "Hello?" he asked, straining to hear a voice over the loud music that was blaring through the speaker.

"_Why do you suffer when you are compared?_

_As long as you act 'yourself', you'll be 'yourself'_

_Give it a try before thinking_

_Take a step_

_Ne-"_

"Naruto?" A flash or recognition hit him, and he grinned, "Gaara! Long time, no talk. How've you been?"

He could almost see Gaara shrug, "I've been better, really. You? How are you at work?" Naruto was a bartender at Club Kyuubi, which was owned by his godfather, Jiraiya. Naruto rolled his eyes, "well, it gets the bills paid…puts food on the table…"

"More like instant ramen"

Naruto stiffened, "Oi! I can cook, you know!" Gaara sighed, "Of _course_ I know. That's why you went to America, right?" Just as he was about to reply, the music grew louder, and the singing voice softly reached his ears again.

"_As long as you're in this world, you can't vanish._

_Keep trying 'till the day you reach there!_

_Because I always wanna see your smile next to you_

_I look like I'm fooling around…_

_Even if I'm looked down or insulted badly_

_I don't mind it if I can see your smile…_

_Not at all…"_

Naruto's brow wrinkled as he listened to the voice; it sounded so familiar…almost…it sounded like…Hi-

"Naruto? You there?" He shook his head, "y-yeah. Yeah, I'm here…"he cleared his throat, "what did you say?"

"I said, how's your relationship with Sakura going?" Naruto's shoulders sagged somewhat, as his mind drifted to Sakura Haruno. "Ah…turns out we weren't going to last that long after all…we broke up a couple of months ago." Gaara was silent for a few minutes, and when he spoke again, his tone sounded as though he had a secret, "I have to go now. You have work soon, anyway."

They quickly said their goodbyes, and Naruto let the phone slip from his fingers, and bounce softly on the couch cushion. Sighing, he rearranged his tie, and stood up, grabbing his jacket before he walked to the door. Right before he closed the door, Naruto stared at the picture one more time, before closing the door.

He missed her; he missed her so much, it was hard to breathe.

_~O~_

_Kyoto_

Hinata glowed at the applause that she received, and bowed as low as she could, cradling her stomach. "Thank you!!" she called out happily, "thanks so much!!" Beaming, Hinata walked to the stairs of the stage, where, this time Deideira was there, waiting for her. "Hinata, you were wonderful, as always, yeah!!" Hinata laughed, as he grabbed her round the waist and swung her off the stage, gently placing her on the ground. "Thank you, Dei" she tugged gently at the lock of blond hair over his eye, "still haven't wooed Temari yet?" Deideira grinned at the question, "nope! But I'm trying harder every day, yeah!" She giggled, and hugged him goodbye, before making her way back to the bar.

Hinata practically skipped back to the bar, ready to wait for thirty minutes until she had to sing again. She raised her arm to wave, when the Subaku siblings entered her line of vision, a bright smile on her face. The smile instantly faded, and her face went pale, as an unbearably sharp pain shot through her lower stomach, and she felt a warm rush between her legs. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, a soft keening noise coming from her pursed lips, as she collapsed to the ground.

_~O~_

Temari, Kankuro, and even Gaara went pale, as Hinata clutched at her stomach and sunk to the ground. They felt as if the world was moving in slow motion, and breaking apart at the same time. Hinata was hurt. The baby was hurt. _They were hurting._ The glass he was holding slipped from Kankuro's fingers, and crashed to the ground as he leaped over the bar. Temari and Gaara jumped off their stools, and raced to Hinata, Temari's phone already in her hands. Gaara reached her first, and gently cradled Hinata in his arms, brushing a lock of hair off her extremely pale face.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Hinata reached down and gently stroked her jeans.

They were soaked. Her water just broke.

The baby was coming. _The baby was coming._ Temari was saying something to her, but Hinata just couldn't focus on her words; her mind was still stuck with the face that _the baby was coming_ and it was _too early_. Her breath came faster, "h-h-h-hosp-p-pit-t-ta-a-" she tried to speak, but an unbearable pain gripped her, and her scream was so loud, the entire club fell silent. Kankuro quickly moved to action, and swung Hinata into his arms, before practically running for the door, the crowd parting like the Red Sea.

Hinata closed her eyes, retreating into herself to try and shake off the rising panic. She opened her eyes again once she was in the back of the black Mitsubishi, the soft purr of the engine soothing her aching abdominals, her head in Temari's lap. Hinata groaned, pressing the heel of her hand on her forehead, "Temari…"she groaned, "phone…" When the cool hardness of the phone hit her hand, she blindly hit the buttons, dialing a number that she knew by heart.

'_Answer…'_ she thought, as the phone began to ring, '_please…'_

Someone answered.

_~O~_

_Tokyo. 9:35_

Tenten groaned, and rolled over as the ringtone on her cell phone hit her ears, the book she was reading falling to the floor. Beside her, her boyfriend, Neji Hyuuga, sighed in his sleep, the hand that was on the small of her back now on her stomach, fingers spread wide. Shaking her head, Tenten flipped her phone open and pressed it to her ear. "Hellooo….?" She half-sighed, half-sang. A soft groan reached her ears, followed by a voice that she knew so, so well, "Tenten…"

She perked up, pushing herself up on her elbows, "Hinata? What-"

"Baby. The…the b-baby…she…she…" The pieces clicked in her mind, and Tenten fully sat up, Neji's hand sliding to her thigh. "_What?!_" she cried, "the baby's coming?! Now?! Oh…." She covered her mouth; her mind already calculating how fast they would have to go to get there. "We'll be there tonight" she said firmly, "no matter how many speeding tickets it costs us" Over the phone, Hinata sighed, "that's good…I miss you, Tenten. I miss you a lot…" her voice faded, and the line disconnected with a soft 'click'.

Heart pounding in her ears, she pushed herself onto her knees, and shook Neji until he was looking up at her, silver eyes glazed with sleep. "Tenten, what…?"

"The baby's coming." She interrupted him, "like, right now. We have to _go_" Neji didn't need to be told twice, and he shot out of bed, his eyes wide. "Now??" he breathed, "but…but it's so…so _soon_…"

"I know," she agreed, tossing him his jacket, "but it's happening _now_, and we've got to get to Hinata _now_"

As Tenten pulled on her shoes, Neji tugged on his jacket and grabbed his car keys, "should we tell-?"

"No. No way. It's not our place. That's something Hinata has to do."

"Right. So…how fast should we go?"  
"I'd like to see that needle go past 80. Please."

_~O~_

_"Oooowwwwwwwwwwwww…!"_

Hinata took a deep, hissing breath through her clenched teeth, and pressed her hands as hard as she could into the small of her back, as she rode out another contraction. Two and a half hours…she'd been having contractions for _two and a half hours_. After an hour and a half, she couldn't stand lying in that _damned_ hospital bed, so now she was walking around the room, trying to ease some of the pain. "When can I have the spinal-tap, epidural stuff?!" she called out, tugging her hair into a ponytail, and shoving the strands away in frustration. Temari walked in, her hands in the pockets of her jean skirt, "umm…" she sighed, "the doctor said you can't have it because you're not dilated enough-"

Hinata hissed, her eyes flashing, "I've been having contractions for _two and a half freaking hours_, I'm _dying, _and I can't even _have_ the _da_-" Temari pressed a hand to her mouth, "ah, ah, ah! No swearing, Princess. Like they said in Juno, 'doctors are-'"

"-'Sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people suffer' I know, I know…Why do like that movie so-" Hinata bent over and bit the inside of her cheek so hard she thought she tasted blood. Three hours…almost three hours…and _there was nothing_.

She was not going to survive this. She was absolutely sure of it.

_~O~_

_"I'm Hinata Hyuuga's friend! Do you know where she is?!"_

Two hours and three speeding tickets later, Tenten and Neji finally made it to Kyoto, and the hospital that Hinata was staying at. The receptionist blinked up at her, her dark eyes startled, and she ran a hand through her short black hair. Neji sidled up behind Tenten, and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to his chest. "I'm Hinata Hyuuga's cousin" he said quietly, wrapping his other arm across Tenten's shoulders, "do you know where she is?" Having gathered her wits, the woman smiled kindly at Neji, "ah, yes! Hinata…she's on the third floor, the poor girl…she's been in labor for hours now…" Tenten's eyes widened and Neji nodded, rubbing soothing circles on her hip, "thank you" he said, and gently tugged Tenten toward the elevator.

Tenten was practically vibrating when they entered the elevator, and when the doors opened, the first thing that his their ears was a loud scream echoing the hall,

"_For the love of God, just hurry up and give her the damn spinal thingy!!!" _Tenten stifled a laugh, and Neji chuckled, "Temari," he sighed, "she hasn't changed a bit" When they entered the room, all they could see was a blur of white and indigo, before Hinata was in Tenten's arms. "Oh my goodness!" she gasped, "I missed you!! I missed you both so much!!" as she launched herself into Neji's arms, Tenten was able to get a good look at her. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, a few strands hanging around her face, which was flushed, and her eyes were shining with tears and filled with joy and strain.

Lacing her fingers together, Hinata stepped back next to Temari, her eyes roving over both of them, taking them in, and burning them into her memory. She sighed, and pressed her hands against the small of her back, "words cannot describe just how good it is to see you two" she murmured, smiling at the both of them, "so? What did you get along the way?" Tenten beamed in pride, "three speeding tickets and a bout of hysterical tears to avoid the fourth" Hinata pressed a hand against her mouth, "oh, that's not, so- _ohhh my goooosh…."_ Hinata dug her nails into the small of her back, riding out the pain, grinding her teeth so roughly her jaw ached.

"They're…they're getting closer…closer and closer and _I want the freaking spinal tap!!"_

The last part was a scream, a roar, a sign that the final straw has broken Hinata's back and her infinite patience had run out. Tenten took a step backward, eyes wide, slightly fearful for her well-being; she'd _never_ seen Hinata run out of patience. To her, it was like the ocean; endless, infinite, and seeming to stretch on forever and ever. Even Neji was shocked, his eyes wide from his cousin's outburst.

Groaning, Hinata slowly shuffled to her bed, and sunk down onto the mattress, leaning against the many pillows the doctors had given her. Closing her eyes, she curled in somewhat, and pressed her palms against the surface of her belly. "Please," she breathed, running her hands along the distended area, "stay. Stay inside…stay and grow. Just…just for a little while…a little while longer…" But the baby apparently had other ideas, and Hinata grit her teeth against the pain, breathing in deeply through her nose. Suddenly, the air seemed to shift, and Hinata curled even tighter into herself, pressing her knees together tightly.

She needed to push; she needed to push badly.

"Temari," she whispered, her voice strained, "get the doctor, please. Hurry!"

As the sound of Temari's footsteps faded from the room, she blindly stretched out a hand, "Neji?" she said softly, her voice like a child's, tiny, scared, "Can I have the phone? Please?" When Neji's cell phone touched her palm, she curled her hand into a fist, and pressed the phone to her heart, gently pressing the cool surface against her lips. _'I'll call,'_ she promised herself, _'Soon. I'll…I'll call…I'll call…'_

Hinata was scared; scared beyond belief, more than words can say. But, at the same time, she was ready; she had to be ready.

For whatever would happen.

_~O~_

"One…two…three…_push!!_"

Tenten pressed her hands over her ears, trying to block out Hinata's screams that echoed faintly through the hall. She whimpered, and pressed her forehead against the doorframe of Hinata's door. It's been almost an hour and a half, and there were no results, the air heavy with their worry. Neji kneeled in front of her and pried her hands from her ears, pressing his lips against her knuckles. But, even though Neji was trying to soothe her, he was afraid as well, his eyes practically glowing in his face, which was now paper white.

Tenten sniffed, and squeezed Neji's hand in appreciation, before turning to the others, because they weren't the only ones who were worried. Temari was staring at Hinata's open door, her gaze vacant. Kankuro was sitting next to her, his head buried in his hands, shoulders trembling with each breath he took. Gaara's face was set in a blank mask, as he held Matsuri close, who was curled up in his arms, her brown hair mussed from running her hands through it multiple times, her hazel eyes unbearably dark and large in her white face. All of them were scared, unable to think properly because of the worry heavily weighing them down, as Hinata's soft cries hit their ears.

"You're doing well, Hinata…so, so well…I can see the head!! One more good push, okay? One…two…three!_ Push!!_"

The scream that Hinata released chilled the very blood in Tenten's veins, and she held tightly onto Neji's hands, roughly rocking herself back and forth. And then…it was quiet…_it was so quiet._ Then, they heard it; the faint keening whine.

A baby's cry.

Just like that, the tension in the air quickly fled out of the hall, replaced with an air of peace. Tenten wanted to cry from the crushing relief; it was all going to be okay…Hinata was okay, the baby sounded healthy, and everything was fi-

"-Bleeding!! _She won't stop bleeding!! Get me nurses, stat!!"_

The world crashed at their feet; it felt like the air got sucked out of the room, like everyone just got punched in the stomach. Tenten was gaping, trying to get the breath that was taken from her, her mind unable to comprehend what she just heard. Temari and Kankuro sagged against each other, the light gone from their eyes, Gaara was staring at the door, a look of pure horror on his face, and Matsuri clung to him, making sound between choking and sobbing, tears running down her face. They couldn't breathe, they couldn't speak, the only thought running through their minds being, '_she's bleeding, they couldn't stop the bleeding, she was bleeding...we can't lose her, we can't, we can't…HinataHinataHinataHinata…'_

Tenten trembled, and she pulled Neji close, who stared at her helplessly. One lone tear ran down Tenten's cheek, and she pressed her lips gently along his jaw, trying to comfort the both of them. "It'll be okay," she whispered into his ear, "she'll make it; she'll be just fine" Tenten repeated the words over and over as Neji clung to her, until she was able to believe the words herself.

Hinata had to make it; there was no other option. She wasn't sure they'd survive if she didn't make it.

_~O~_

Hinata was dizzy…so dizzy.

And everything was so _loud_…why couldn't everyone just be _quiet_?? She groaned softly, turning her head into her pillow, shrugging off the hands that were grabbing her. The air smelled clean, unbearably so, but there was a metal tinge to it, leaving a coppery aftertaste on her tounge.

Blood.

"…_won't stop bleeding…need the doctor…not responding…"_

Aside from the voices, there was also another noise; a high, keening wail…a baby's cry…_her_ baby's cry. Is she okay? Is she healthy? Hinata tried to move, but she felt as though she was weighed down with lead, and she clenched her fists in frustration.

There was something hard in her hand, the sharp corner of it biting into her skin.

Neji's cell phone. She pulled it close, held it to her heart, just as she was picked up, and placed on another bed, the sheets cool, brand new. Slowly, Hinata let her fingers slide over the phone's buttons, and she dialed a number that she knew all of her life. As it rang, she drifted in and out of consciousness, the loud voices and the annoying beeping bringing her to the surface again and again. "Hello?" Hinata smiled, and hummed in relief; ah, she'd missed that voice so much…she hadn't heard it in so long…

"Helloooo? Anyone there? Neji??"

Hinata groaned, "Mmm…N'ruto?" she heard his breath hitch, and he fell silent, as though he really couldn't believe that it was her. "Hi-" he cleared his throat, his voice breaking slightly, "Hinata? It's you? It's really, really you?" She nodded, even though he couldn't see it, "Mmm-hmm…" she slurred, "s'me…s'really me."

It felt so good to hear his voice…but it sounded a little funny…as though she was hearing it through a tunnel…

"…nata? Hinata? Are you okay? You…you sound…"

She shook her head, "I'm…well…I just…wanted to hear your voice. I miss you…so much…and…I'll…'l be…" It was getting dark, and Hinata couldn't stay awake anymore, and the phone slipped from between her numb fingers, and clattered to the floor.

"_Hinata?! Hinata, are you okay?! Hina?!"_

_~O~_

_"Quick, quick! Hurry, stop the bleeding, get-"_

Naruto stared at his phone, his face pale, eyes wide with disbelief. It was Hinata…he was finally able to talk to her, after all these months…and then, she was gone again. But _who_ was bleeding?! What was going on? Was Hinata hurt? Was she okay? He clenched his shaking hands into tight fists, until he felt his nails dig into his skin. His heart pounded with worry, fear spreading through him like poison. Naruto wished he knew what was going on, where Hinata was, so he could hold her, see her, talk to her…

He shook his head, and ran his thumb tenderly over the screen of his phone, before tucking it back into his pocket. Running a hand through his hair, Naruto looked up at the starry sky, exhausted.

All he wanted right now was to go home.

_~O~_

_March 3__, __2008_

"…almost _four days!!_ She has to wake up!! I can't…I can't…"

"Hinata…please…please wake up…"

The voices came slowly at first, flowing in and out, like the tide of the ocean, pulling her out of the heavy fog of sleep. Groaning, Hinata opened her eyes, quickly squeezing them back shut, blocking out the bright light that burned her eyes. She heard a sharp intake of breath, and someone grabbed her hand, "She opened her eyes!! Everyone, _Hinata's awake! She opened her eyes!!"_ Inhaling through her nose, Hinata opened her eyes again, slower this time, so she could get adjusted to the light, staring at the ceiling, dazed.

Someone squeezed her hand, and she turned her head, and stared into red-rimmed, relieved brown eyes. Tenten let out a strangled sob, brushing Hinata's bangs off her forehead, "Oh, thank you, God" she sobbed, relieved, "thank you so much…" Hinata smiled at her, and Tenten kissed the palm of her hand, her face shining with her tears. "Neji!" she called over her shoulder, her voice cracking from her relief, "Neji!! She's awake!! She's awake!!" A symphony of footsteps got closer and closer to her room, and then Neji, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara ran into the room, their faces wild with relief.

Temari rushed forward, pressing her lips against the crown of Hinata's head, murmuring her thanks in a breathless voice. Hinata closed her eyes, absorbing the love of her friends, and re-opened her eyes, when loud cries were quickly growing closer and closer to the room. A frazzled Matsuri rushed in, Sasori and Deideira flanking her, a wailing baby in her arms. Matsuri's eyes filled with relieved tears, as she bounced the baby in her arms, trying to quiet her. "Oh, you're up, you're up!!" she closed her eyes, "thank goodness! I'm so happy…and," she looked down, "she'll be happy, too. She's been crying for you for days…."

Hinata stared at the wailing baby, and a warmth filled her, like she'd just drank her favorite tea, and it was warming her from the inside out. With strength that she didn't know she still had, Hinata raised her arms, "Give her to me…" she said softly, her voice scratchy somewhat from the disuse. Matsuri stepped forward, and gently placed the baby in her arms, and Hinata was finally able to look at her child for the first time. Her face was red, flushed from her nonstop wailing, which told her that she'd inherited her father's lungs, but the red hue was slowly fading to its original pale color. Her hair was the same shade as Hinata's, but was shot through with streaks of silvery blonde.

Hinata smiled gently, and held her close, pressing her lips against her smooth skin, "Shh…" she whispered, "it's alright…it's alright…don't cry. I'm here now…it's okay…" Slowly, but surely, her cries faded, until it was reduced to tiny sniffles and hiccups, and she opened her eyes, showing two, creamy, blue-lavender eyes, rimmed red from tears. And she was _so small_…her hand looked like it could only wrap around her pinky finger…she reminded Hinata of a pixie, she was so small. "They had her in the incubator ever since you…you…" Temari coughed, and continued her explanation, "but since then, she's been wailing non-stop…so we were going to take her to see you…and then, you…" Kankuro took over then, "after we let her see you, she always stopped crying. But she has to go straight back to NCIU, because everything's not fully developed yet…well, except for the lungs. Those are definitely there."

Hinata chuckled softly, and ran the tip of her finger over the soft hairs; the felt smooth, like silk. This baby-her baby-was strong, very strong. Hinata knew that she would make an impact in this world somewhere; she'd last for years, she'd be eternal. "….Chiyo"

Everyone turned to her, their eyes wide, ears perked upward, "what did you say, yeah?" Deideira stepped forward, eyebrows raised, his finger still trapped in the baby's tight grip.. Hinata looked at them all and smiled, "Her name will be Chiyo. Chiyo Hyuuga." The newly named Chiyo cooed, raising her hand, letting her tiny fingers brush against Hinata's chin.

_~O~_

_March 5, 2008_

_"I just…wanted to hear your voice. I miss you…so much…and I'll…be…"_

"_Hurry! Stop the bleeding, she-"_

_A tiny wail rose faintly in the background…._

Naruto clung to his pillow, his eyes burning, his throat clogged by a large lump he just couldn't swallow, and he opened his eyes. The bright crimson glare of his alarm clock said that it was almost two in the morning; another night that he had _that night_ play over and over in his mind. It was the first time that he'd heard Hinata's voice in ages, and he clung to the memory tightly, no matter how painful it was; no matter how worried he got. Naruto coughed, and rubbed at his eyes, which were hollowed out by dark circles.

He was so tired…so worried…he just wanted to hear Hinata's voice; he wanted to call her, so he'd know that she was okay…He reached across his pillow, and his fingers brushed across the surface of his cell phone, wishing it would ring. Naruto looked at the phone, biting the inside of his cheek, before setting his jaw, picking up his phone, and dialing Neji's number. It rang five times before he answered; his voice thick with exhaustion.

"Neji"

The sound of Naruto's voice woke Neji up quick, and he sighed, "Naruto" he greeted calmly. Naruto closed his eyes, "Neji, please. Tell me what happened. What happened last week?"

Neji didn't say anything for a while, and Naruto heard a small voice in the background; unintelligible babbling.

…_A tiny wail rose faintly in the background…_

Naruto shook his head, just as Neji began to speak, "I…Naruto…that…isn't my story to tell. But" he silenced Naruto before he could protest, "All I can tell you is yes; yes, Hinata is in the hospital. Something…something happened, and-and we almost lost her" His voice broke, and he coughed, "but…but she's okay. She woke up a few days ago. I can't tell you why she's in the hospital; I can't tell you what happened. You'll…when you find out, it'll be from her." Naruto held the phone between his numb fingers, Neji's words echoing in his mind, freezing his blood.

_'Something…something happened, and-and we almost lost her…we almost lost her…almost lost her…almost…'_

The world seemed to get blurry, and Naruto couldn't breathe, his mind hazy. "Okay, Neji" he heard himself say, "that's fine…I…I can wait…"

"Ok. Now, I'm really tired…I'll see you when I get back…ok?"

Naruto didn't even remember saying goodbye, didn't remember hanging up the phone; he just felt lost…more helpless than he'd felt in years. Hinata was in the _hospital_…she almost _died_…_he almost lost her._ He blinked, and his world cleared, twin trails of warmth racing down his cheeks.

Why was he here? _Why was he here?!_ Why wasn't he where _she_ was; at the hospital, by her side, holding her hand and telling jokes to make her smile?? Why was he in this bed, alone, lonelier than he's been in years?

What was his _problem??_

Naruto closed his eyes, and shoved his face into his pillow, his silent tears soaking into his pillow, and he prepared himself for another sleepless night. He wished he was with her; he wished that he could see her, after all these months…

'_Hinata…'_

_~O~_

_March 10, 2008_

"…what?"

Hinata looked at Temari's blank face, and gave her a tiny smile, "I'm going back to Tokyo." Temari looked at her, confused, "but…but…why? Why, Princess? Why do you have to go? Why?" Hinata rubbed her hand against a sleeping Chiyo's back, who nuzzled her cheek into Hinata's bare skin. "When…when I was in Tokyo…" she said slowly, finding her words, "I…well, you see my reason here" she gestured to Chiyo in her arms. "When I…when I got…" she swallowed, "I was nineteen, Temari._ Nineteen_. In my family, I had just done the most awful thing…I was young, pregnant, and unmarried…I would've _shamed_ my family…I still will." Hinata's lips trembled, "I was scared out of my mind. Also, there was…there was…" she shook her head, "I just…I just _ran._ I knew I could come here…I would've been safe…happy…But now…"

Hinata looked up at Temari, her face serious, "I have to go back. Running away won't solve my problems, even though I thought it would" Temari sniffed, and crawled on the small hospital bed, curling into Hinata's side, "I don't…but you belong here…" she murmured, "you can't go. We'd miss you all too much." Hinata nodded, placing her cheek on the crown of Temari's head, "I know," she whispered, "I'm going to miss it here; Kyoto's my second home. But…I've got to solve this; I have to confront everything I've been running away from…" Then, Hinata smiled, "don't worry, though. I'll visit every month, and I'll be back in time for Nezumi and Gaara's wedding. I promise."

Temari chuckled, swallowing past a thick lump of tears, "I'll hold you to it" she promised, "but just wait until everyone else knows. They'll just _die_…totally lose their minds. They'll miss you like crazy."

"I know. I'll miss them, too."

_~O~_

_March 15, 2008_

"And we…are…_hoomme!!!_"

Tenten sang the words as she stepped through the threshold of her apartment, Chiyo in her arms, as Neji walked in, carrying Hinata in his arms. Hinata looked around their large, warm apartment, thanking Neji softly as he placed her onto the couch. The walls of their living room were a deep red, matching nicely with the beige couch, framed pictures placed here and there along the walls. She smiled, feeling Neji and Tenten in the walls, knowing that she'd love every day she'd spend here until she could find her own place. "Thank you for letting me stay with you two," she said quietly, "it means a lot to me. Really."

Tenten beamed, "it's no trouble at all, Hinata! You're always welcome here! Plus…" She stepped in front of Hinata and placed Chiyo in her arms, "I also got you a job. While we were in Kyoto" Hinata stiffened somewhat, alarms ringing softly in her head, but she smiled anyway, a too-sweet smile, and cradled Chiyo to her chest. "You…got me a job…?" she asked sweetly, "really? Where, Tenten? Where did I get a job?" Tenten continued on happily, "well, at Club Kyuubi, of course! In two weeks, you'll be working as a singer!!"

Hinata's smile turned deadly, all teeth and acid, "really?" she said sweetly, too sweetly, "Club Kyuubi, huh? Doesn't…ah…doesn't _he-?_"

"But of course." Tenten shrugged off Hinata's icy stare, "You need this opportunity. It's just coming a lot sooner than you expected" Just then, Neji walked in, and stared, quietly absorbing Hinata's furious aura.

Hinata was angry, and she _never_ got angry; and when she was angry, the world knew not to get involved.

Not even saying a word, he strode forward, and plucked Chiyo out of Hinata's arms. Then, he turned around, and silently left the room, Chiyo staring blearily at them over his shoulder.

After he'd slipped into the hallway, where neither of the women would see him, Neji pulled out his cell phone. Flipping it to his camera, he turned it to a certain angle, and quickly took a picture. Dialing a number, he attached the picture in a text message, and pressed 'send' Satisfied, he closed his phone, and began to move to the guest room, so he could put Chiyo to bed.

_~O~_

'_Ai shitemo ii kai?_

_Yureru yoru ni_

_Aru ga mama de ii yo; motto, fukaku…_

_Kuruoshii kurai ni; nareta, kuchibiru ga_

_Toke au hodo ni_

_Boku wa…kimi no…vani-'_

_'Agh…I thought I'd changed that song ages ago…'_

Swearing under his breath, Naruto picked up his phone, frowning, and stared at his screen. His heart skipped a beat; it was a text message…from Neji. He stared at the screen, eyes wide; what was this about? What happened? Is…was she…? Fingers trembling, he pressed the button to open the text message. What he saw snatched the breath from him, leaving him winded. Hinata was sitting on a beige couch, glaring daggers up at a grinning Tenten, hands on her hips. He recognized the red walls, the couch, the photos spread haphazardly across the room. It was Neji and Tenten's apartment.

Hinata was home; she was _back._ She was _here_, in Tokyo. _She was home._

He couldn't think, couldn't regain his lost breath, eyes wide with shock, shoulders sagging with relief. He wanted to see her; he wanted to go and visit her right now, to talk to her, to hold her…Then, he saw that Neji had typed something.

'_She's home now. But wait. Wait just a little longer. You'll see her soon'_

Naruto groaned; he had to _wait_…Hinata was _so close_, and he had to _wait._ Tossing his phone on the bed, Naruto ran his hands through his hair, and sighed. Well, he waited seven months for her...he guessed that he could just wait a little longer…

_~O~_

_

* * *

_

_Yeahhh....I changed Chi's name...I just added a 'yo'. So now, she's Chiyo!! _

_Please. Don't be a lurker. Review; tell me what you thought._

_Yeah...that came out very well!! This is gonna be fuunn..._


	2. Chapter 2

_Oh my gosh, I love you guys. I'm so serious. Thanks so much for reading this (again, for some of you)_

_I'll get it right this time, I swear._

**Disclaimer: **_Not mine. Just borrowing._

_**Songs Used: **Iroh Song by Rin Kagamine_

* * *

_April 1st, 2008_

Hinata was so sure that she was about to throw up.

She tugged on the sleeves of her dress, biting her lip so hard, she was sure that it was about to bleed. Club Kyuubi was nothing like Club Kaze; instead of a warm golden glow, the large club was a burning crimson, reminding her of the inside of a heart, warm and throbbing. And instead of a jazz lounge, it looked like one of the night clubs in America. Hinata had never felt so intimidated, so scared…A hand landed on her shoulder, and she jumped, looking into Neji's eyes. He smiled down at her, "Stop being so scared," he tapped her on the forehead, "it'll be fine; you're gonna blow them away."

"Thank you…Neji…" she twisted a lock of her hair around and around her finger, "I'm just…I'm really, r-really nervous…"

She bit her lip; she hadn't stuttered in years…she was shocked that she let it get to her. "Honestly…" she whispered aloud, "Neji, I don't really know what I'm afraid of…" Hinata couldn't run away from this; it was a lot sooner than she'd predicted, of course, but she wasn't going to bow out of this because of that. If she was going to do that, then she never should've returned to Tokyo. Hinata sighed, and closed her eyes, leaning into Neji's side for comfort, "I'm not…I'm not going to run from this" she whispered, "Who knows? This might be good for me in the long run, like Tenten said."

She'd called Temari on the way to Club Kyuubi, and her words echoed in her mind "_You can do it, Princess!"_ she'd crowed, "_Knock 'em dead! Show 'em what you're made of!"_

Those words stayed with her, as she waved goodbye to Neji, and blended into the crowd, walking towards the stage. She was still scared; once she set foot on that stage, all eyes would be on her, and she'd forever be out of hiding. Hinata tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, and she smiled, slowly taking step after step up the stairs to the stage.

Once she stepped onto the stage, the music vanished, and the club was silent, all eyes on her. Hinata's face colored slightly, and she smiled at her large audience, mouthing 'hello' to her crowd, just as the music began to play. Hinata felt back in her element, and her smile widened, and she began to sing.

_"Anata ga nozomu no nara ba _

_inu no yōni jūjun ni _

_himo ni nawa ni kusari ni shibara rete agemashō"_

Hinata's flush deepened as she sang, gripping the microphone tightly in her hand. She knew what song they'd chosen for her, of course…but that didn't make it any less embarrassing…

_"Arui wa koneko no yōni _

_ai kuru shiku anata o _

_yubi de ashi de kuchibiru de yorokoba sete agemashō_

_Dochira ga saki ni oboreta datoka sonna koto dō demo ii no"_

_~O~_

_"Iro wa nio edo chiri nuru o waga yo dare zo tsune naran _

_shiri tai no motto motto fukaku made _

_ui no okuyama kyō koete asaki yumemi ji yoi mo sezu_

_somari mashō anata no iro ha ni ho he to chi ri nu ru o"_

Naruto couldn't believe it.

The glass he was holding slipped from his fingers and crashed to the floor, but he barely noticed, his eyes only for the woman who was singing onstage. It was Hinata, dressed in a deep red, kimono-styled dress, surrounded by the lights, like paint on a blank canvas. He blinked rapidly, hoping that she wouldn't disappear, and that this wasn't a dream. But he _knew_…it wasn't a dream; his feet were killing him, the lights were giving him a headache, and the music was so loud, it shook his ribcage.

_"Tatoeba tsubaki no yōni _

_fuyu ni sake to iu nara _

_yuki ni shimo ni karada o sarashite ikimashō"_

Hinata closed her eyes, and raised her arms up in the air, giving Naruto an opportunity to look her over completely. Her hair was longer, almost touching the back of her thighs, and she gave off this aura that she'd been through a lot and she grew because of it.

_"Arui wa kedakai bara no chirigiwa ga _

_mitai nara kubi ni _

_kami ni kaori o matowa sete yukimashō_

_Hone no zui made somatte mo mada sore dake ja mono tarinai no"_

An elbow jabbed into his side, bringing Naruto back to earth, and he turned to Suigetsu, his fellow colleague. "Dude," he eyed Hinata with appreciative eyes, "the new recruit is _hot_. I'd like a piece of that."

A hot, ugly wave of jealous possessiveness washed over him, and Naruto had to bite his tongue to prevent the words slipping out; to smother the urge to strike and hurt and tell him that Hinata was _his_.

But, though it was somewhat true, Hinata was his best friend, his closest friend, and nothing more. That was all she was, all she _could_ be…all she'd _ever_ be…right…?

_"Kawari mashō anata no tame ni"_

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed, pretending that he was unaffected by Suigetsu's words, "Sure, sure…good luck with that."

Grabbing the small brush and dustpan, he bent down to clean up the broken glass, "I doubt that she'd want to go out with someone like you, anyway" Suigetsu chuckled, "you can't help but try…" he murmured, his eyes trained on Hinata, a hawk locked onto his prey. Burning jealousy rose again and Naruto grit his teeth, struggling to keep up a calm face, as he swept up the broken glass.

_"Iro wa nio edo chiri nuru o waga yo dare zo tsune naran _

_shiri tai no motto motto fukaku made _

_ui no okuyama kyō koete asaki yumemi ji yoi mo sezu_

_Ochi mashō anata to iroha ni hohe to doko made mo"_

_~O~_

Hinata flushed with pride, as the dancing crowd applauded wildly; even the people sitting at the bar raised their glasses to her. It was official now; she was the new songstress at Club Kyuubi, and she couldn't have been happier. She was surrounded by her music again, doing one of the many things that she loved. Neji was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, grabbing her hand to help her down, because walking was still a little hard for her. "You did very, very good," Neji praised, "but, we have to go. Now. Tenten called a minute ago; Chiyo's up, and she's wailing."

Hinata was filled up with happiness that she wasn't sure she could talk without stuttering, so she just nodded, smiling widely, and let Neji lead her to the door. As they weaved through the mass of people, Hinata turned her head, still smiling…

And looked into shocked sky blue.

The smile slowly slipped off of Hinata's face, her mouth moving into a round circle of shock. It felt like one of those photos, where the two of them were motionless, while the rest of the world moved on around them at super speed. Time seemed to slow down for her, as Hinata looked at Naruto's face for the first time in almost eight months.

His hair was a little longer, hanging into his wide eyes, which were ringed with dark circles; he wasn't sleeping very well. He was looking at her like she would vanish, and he didn't know what to do; his gaze confused and happy and wanting and sad and…She raised a hand, as though she could reach out to him, but then she remembered, and her face crumpled in pain, as she let Neji pull her away. She couldn't…not right now…but Hinata couldn't help but look over her shoulder one last time, and stare at Naruto's lost expression as she walked through the door.

That was the night that both Naruto and Hinata began to dream about a person that they wanted, but they weren't sure they could ever have.

_~O~_

Chiyo's tiny breaths hit her neck, as she nuzzled into Hinata, finally asleep. When she returned home, it took almost two hours to get Chiyo to stop crying, her diaper changed, her onesie taken off, her stomach full, and she fell asleep, draped across Hinata's bare torso. Hinata sighed, too tired to get up and put on pajamas, so she scooted up the bed and leaned against her pillows. She was so exhausted, but she couldn't close her eyes, or else Naruto's lost expression would show up. He looked as lost as she felt; they really were two peas in a pod.

She chuckled softly, and then sighed, running her fingers over Chiyo's skin, feeling each tiny rib, amazed at how small she was. The love Hinata felt for her daughter rose to overwhelming heights, and she sniffed, holding her close, pressing her lips into Chiyo's soft hair.

"I love you," she whispered into the thin strands, "so much. It hurts, sometimes…And I know; I know he'd love you…" A lump rose in her throat, and she swallowed, trying to speak past it, "an-and he would love you, too…Naruto would love you so much…he'd spoil you like crazy…" her voice broke, and Hinata knew she was crying. Her face crumpled, and she turned her face into her pillow, letting her tears soak the pillowcase.

Why was she crying so much…? It was possibly left over hormones from her pregnancy…But it would do nothing for her; she wasn't going to sit around and cry forever. But just once…just this once, she would cry. Hinata stifled a tiny sob, and cried until she fell asleep, Chiyo pillowed close to her heart. An hour after Hinata fell asleep; Tenten silently crept in, Neji's cell phone in her hand. Taking extra care to keep Chiyo out of the frame, Tenten turned on the phone's camera, and snapped a picture of Hinata's flushed, sleeping face, slightly damp from her tears.

She smiled at the picture, and brushed stray hairs away from Hinata's face, before slipping out of the room, sending a text message all the while.

_~O~_

Naruto practically dived for his phone when it went off, feeling the vibrations under his fingers as he opened the phone, hungrily opening the text message. It was another picture of Hinata, this time she was asleep, her curtain of hair pushed over one bare shoulder, the tips of her fingers visible, holding _something_ close to her heart.

_'She misses you…a lot. You still have a little more time…what're you gonna do?'_

He sighed; running a finger over Hinata's sleeping face; that was a good question…what _was_ he going to do? He wasn't sure…he wasn't sure at all…He was so confused about it all; he didn't know what to do now, what to say, what to think…Naruto sighed, and closed his eyes, almost regretting it when Hinata flashed behind his closed eyes.

He wanted her, this much he knew; he wanted her so bad, his chest ached. Naruto wanted his best friend back, he wanted…his friend, his rock…he wanted…more. Groaning, he ran his hands through his hair, then rubbed his heavy eyes. Tired…he was so, so tired…he just wanted to lie down, and sleep for months…But this bed was too cold, too empty…he was always used to having someone there with him, curled up in his side, holding his hand, even in slumber. Getting into a comfortable position on the couch, Naruto fell into a light doze, and dreamed that Hinata was lying next to him, holding his face between her small hands, eyes bright with concern.

_"What's wrong, Naruto…?"_

He'd never felt so lonely.

_~O~_

_April 5th, 2008_

"Wh…_What did you say_…?"

Neji cringed sympathetically, tugging on a lock of his hair, a nervous habit he was just never able to break over the years, "…Hiashi wants to see you" Hinata went pale, and her heart began to pound. Her father wanted to see her…there would only be one reason for why he wanted to see her…

"He…He found out…?" her voice was faint, but steady, and Neji nodded, "yes…word travels fast, and he heard of your return." The hidden message behind Neji's words made her cringe, her stomach churning. Her father found out; Hiashi found out about her secret child, the reason why she'd run away, without even leaving a note. He was furious, no doubt, and was demanding an explanation.

Hinata closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead into the heels of her hands, taking a deep, calming breath. "O…Okay," she said finally, "I'll go…I'll go. What-what time do I have to be there?" Her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest, and she was scared, but she expected this; she knew it was going to happen the moment she decided to return to Tokyo.

_'I'm not ready…I never will be. But…I can't run away anymore. I've got to face my problems'_

_~O~_

"I have a granddaughter"

It was not a question, just a simple fact; but the tone of her father's voice made Hinata cringe somewhat. Smothering the urge to flee, she nodded, not breaking eye contact, "Yes. Her name is Chiyo. I had her in February, while I was away…" Hiashi's lips pressed into a line, and he gave her a probing stare; she was not in the clear yet…he was about to ask the one thing she was dreading…

"And the father? Who is he?" Hinata's lips trembled, and she murmured a small prayer for strength, before diving in, "The father…the father is…N-Naruto" She clenched her fists, and looked straight on into her father's eyes, "Naruto Uzumaki is the father"

The change was instantaneous; his eyes first widened in shock, before narrowing in outrage…in fury…and she trembled. "Hinata Hyuuga" Hiashi's voice was like the crack of a whip, "you…have _shamed_ us, _dirtying_ our bloodline with this…this…" He shook his head in disgust, unable to find a word for Chiyo. Hinata looked at her clenched fists, "I'm…I'm so-"

"Apologies mean nothing at this point" he snapped, "just...get out. I don't want to see your face on this property again. You are no child of mine." Hiashi disowning her felt like a slap to the face, and her eyes filled with tears as though she'd really been struck.

She looked at her father for the last time; Hinata would always love him…until the end of her days. She wanted to tell him that, but she bit her lip, turned away, and left her father's office for the last time. Hinata slowly walked down the hall, trapped in a fog, hardly believing what had just happened. It was all…it felt like a dream…like it wasn't real; but it wasn't a dream, and it did just happen, and she'd never felt so lost.

"…Sister…?" The soft voice hit Hinata's ears, and she turned, staring into eyes that were identical to her own.

Hinata's smile was small, tired, but genuine, all the same, "Hanabi…" she sighed, and she held her arms open, letting her sister run into them and hug her tightly. Hanabi's hug was tight, desperate, as she clung to her like she would never see her again.

"I missed you" she whispered, "you just _left_…without leaving a note, or _anything_…and now…now you've been _disowned_?" Hanabi's shoulders shook, "I…I don't want you to go…I don't want you to stop being my sister…" Hinata smiled, and gave Hanabi a squeeze, "I'll _always_ be your sister," she whispered, "you can come see me anytime you want; I'll always be there for you" Hanabi sniffed softly, nodding, and turned away sharply, running down the hallway, turning a corner, and she was gone.

Hinata smiled, and resumed her slow journey out of the home that was once hers. For some reason, she felt like Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter, walking out of her prison, a blazing 'A' on her breast and a baby in her arms. But for her, there was no letter stitched to her clothes, and her baby was back at home with Tenten and Neji; she couldn't stomach the thought of Chiyo under her father's scrutiny. Taking a deep breath, Hinata held her head high, put her shoulders back, and walked out of her prison, finally, finally becoming a free bird.

_~O~_

As soon as she was away from the house, the tears quickly began to fall.

A part of Hinata felt alone; she was no longer a Hyuuga...she'd been _abandoned_, and it _hurt_. But at the same time, she felt _free_. Hinata no longer had expectations to live up to, no longer was she held down, trapped by the chains of '_you can never do this, never do that, never, never, never.'_ She was abandoned but free, alone but surrounded, hurt yet relieved. Even now, Hinata couldn't tell whether her tears were from pain or relief, her soft sobs tinged with bouts of laughter. She wondered if she was having some sort of mental breakdown, and that made her laughter stronger, tears falling faster.

"...Hinata...?"

A low voice reached her ears, and she stopped, her eyes wide.

Hinata knew that voice; of course she knew that voice...she only listened to it every day of her life, from second grade onward. Swiping at the tear tracks on her cheeks; Hinata turned, and looked at her longtime friend, Sasuke Uchiha, the smile on her face growing wider. "Sasuke..." she sighed, opening her arms and letting him pull her into a hug, squeezing her tightly. He looked better since the last time she saw him; he looked content, happier than he'd been in months, and it made her warm inside.

"You look better," she said once he let go, "_so_ much better. I'm glad!"

Sasuke shrugged, his eyes never leaving Hinata's face, "I wish I could say the same for you. You were _crying_. What happened? What's wrong?" Hinata smiled, though it was a little sad, "the day has finally come; I am no longer a Hyuuga." His charcoal eyes widened, "they actually did it? Seriously? But..._why_?" At the question, Hinata's face filled with color, "I...I..." she looked away, and pressed her hands to her stomach, remembering the heavy weight that was there.

"Wha-? Oh." Sasuke's eyes lit up with realization, "_Oh..._That's why..."

"Yeah...a girl; born in February. Her name is Chiyo."

They fell silent, the aura around them a mix between awkward and comfortable.

"Hey, Pearl?" Hinata's ears perked up at her old childhood nickname, and she smiled, "yeah?"

"D'you want to go get some ice cream?"

"Yeah. Let's go. We haven't talked in a while."

_~O~_

Hinata licked away the remainder of her mint chocolate-chip ice cream off the tips of her fingers, humming softly under her breath, a tiny smile of contentment on her face. Though the beginning of her day wasn't so great, the remainder of it was worth remembering. Talking was Sasuke again felt wonderful; she never realized just how much she'd missed him while she was away. They talked and talked and talked, barely noticing the hours melting away, and the sun beginning to fall into the horizon. _'We should do that again sometime,'_ she mused, heading toward Neji and Tenten's apartment, '_today...was exactly what I needed.'_ Wiping her hand on her pants, Hinata grabbed the key that was hanging from a chain on her neck, unlocked the door, and slipped inside.

When she entered, a wave of warmth washed over her, and the faint sounds of the T.V. and laughter reached her ears. Hinata smiled at the noise, and shrugged off her jacket, "I'm back!" she called out, kneeling down to take off her shoes. When she stood back up, Neji was in the hall, Chiyo in his arms. She was awake, a lock of Neji's hair in her tiny fist, and she was staring up at him, transfixed.

"You're back," Neji said, "how...how was everything?" He said it cautiously, as though she would break down into tears any second.

Her smile was sad, "I guess we're not cousins anymore, huh...?"

Neji cringed, "You'll always be my cousin. Nothing will ever change that" He moved forward, like he was going to hug her, but then he remembered Chiyo in his arms, who had let the lock of his hair slide through her fingers. Hinata opened her arms, "I'll take her," she said, "I appreciate you two taking care of her"

Once Chiyo was in her arms, she went on her tip toes, and pressed her lips softly against Neji's cheek. "Thank you" she said sincerely, and Neji smiled at her, as she walked into her room.

Sitting on her bed, Hinata stared at Chiyo, who stared back, giving her a smile.

Running a finger tenderly over her cheek, Hinata leaned on the headboard, and began to talk. "Your grandfather..." she pressed her lips together, thinking, "well, he _used_ to be your grandpa, but I guess he still could be...Anyway-even though he's...not so nice...But I loved him. I still do. I love my father...and, even though he did what he did, he loves me, too."

She sighed, shaking off the urge to cry, "He loved tea. Peppermint tea, especially; he had at least two cups a day. And he taught me how to dance." Hinata smiled, "well, ballroom dancing, at least. And he taught me everything about music. That's why, in my group of friends, I'm the songbird." Her smile grew, "we all fell into our own stereotype, but that just seemed to tie us closer together"

Chiyo smacked her lips and stared up at Hinata as she continued, "Oh, just wait until you meet everyone else. Your Aunt Tenten, in the living room? Well, she's the biggest bookworm I've ever met. She's the only one who'd read a book in the middle of lunch and burst into tears"

She laughed softly, remembering that day, "she wasn't able to stop crying until math class. And then, there's Ino. Oh, she just…she's…there are no words to describe her. She's the best artist in the world, and her photography is _wonderful_"

Hinata ran a hand over Chiyo's soft hair, "she lives in the city now, with her boyfriend, Sai. Sai is the best painter, second to none. He doesn't really talk that much, but he's very sweet. And then…then there's…Sakura."

Hinata swallowed, trying to remove the lump that had suddenly lodged in her throat. "S-Sakura…oh…she is an amazing cook. One of the best I know…well except for-for…" She shook her head, taking in a deep breath, "I remember, months before you were here, I wanted some of Sakura's pie; it had apples and strawberries in it…and it's so good. Those days were really, really hard...And there was this one time…" That's how Hinata's evening was spent, telling Chiyo all of the stories in her life that she could think of, until the late hours into the night. Even after Chiyo had fallen asleep, Hinata kept talking, every story, every memory slipping past her lips, until, mid-sentence, she finally drifted off to sleep, just as the faint light of dawn began to slip through the window.

_~O~_

_April 9th, 2008 _

"Oh…my…_God…!"_

Tenten waved her hands wildly, willing Ino to _shut up_, "_shhhh_, Ino! Don't wake her up! She hasn't been asleep for very long!"

Ino pressed her hands to her mouth, her ice-blue eyes bright with excited joy. She could barely contain herself, dancing on the tips of her toes, "she's back, she's back, Hinata's back!" she sang, "and she brought a baaaby…! I was right! I was right!" Tenten rolled her eyes, tugging on Ino's white gold hair, "yes, yes, another Ino Prediction proved right once again" Ino gave Tenten her usual Cheshire smile, pulling out her camera. "I'll have the flash off," Ino promised, turning on her camera with the flick of her finger, "I'll just take one picture, squeal a little more, and then…"

Ino's voice trailed off, and she rocked back and forth on her heels, "ohhh…do I _have_ to go?" she whined quietly, "I haven't seen our songbird in _months_…I don't want to go…" Tenten crossed her arms, biting her lip, "well…I _guess_ you can stay-" Ino bounced on her toes, "Yay! Hinata will be soo happy…I know it; we haven't seen each other in so _long_…" Humming happily, Ino quickly turned the flash off her camera, and raised it to her face, silently taking a few pictures. After a few minutes of silence, Ino spoke again, "so…does she know yet? That they broke up?" Tenten shook her head, running a hand through her hair, "It's not our place…we're not going to tell her that. The only one who will tell her…is Naruto."

Ino nodded, tucking her camera back in her pocket, "that's a good decision. It'll be a lot better if she hears it from him" She laced her hands behind her back and smiled, "soo…living room now?"

"…You knew that I'd let you stay."

"Duh. That's why the sketchbook's in my bag."

Tenten sighed, and smacked Ino on the back of her head, "You and your stupid psychic powers" she mumbled

"Owwww….Tenten, that huuuuuuurt. You didn't have to hit me!"

"Just shut up and go play with your sketchbook"

_~O~_

_'Uuggh…what time is it…?'_

Hinata turned onto her side and curled into herself, blocking herself from the bright sun. Caged by her body, Chiyo slept on, oblivious to the world around her. She sighed, and smacked her lips, slowly opening her eyes, staring at the wall blearily. She knew it was late in the day, she could feel it, and she wanted to sink back into that place, to fall into the warm oblivion of sleep. But she wanted to get up; as much as she wanted to, she couldn't lay around in bed all day. Hinata gently placed Chiyo on the bed, covering her up with her small blanket, before standing up and stretching, letting out a huge yawn.

Tying her hair into a low ponytail, she moved to her small closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a large, dark orange t-shirt. Looking down at the shirt, Hinata bit her lip, "I should give this back..." she murmured thoughtfully, "but...just not yet." Tugging her hair out of her shirt, she sighed, and left her room. "Good morni-" she started to say, but she was interrupted by a loud squeal, and she was tackled, both of them falling to the ground with a loud thump.

"Ohh, it's soooo good to see you again! Hinataaa!" Hinata stared blankly, her face covered by a blanket of silvery blonde hair. She knew this hair, who it belonged to.

She blinked in shock, until her face broke into a wide smile, and she hugged Ino with all the strength she could muster.

"Ino! Ino! I can't believe it; it's you! I missed you! I missed you so much!" Ino laughed and pulled Hinata up, looking over her, "I haven't seen you in so long! I'm so happy I stayed, because even though Tenten was being a bitch and threatened to kick me out-"

Hinata cut her off with a laugh, "I see, I see! I'm glad you stayed, too! I've wanted to see you for ages now!" Still smiling, Hinata looked at Ino for the first time in months. She'd cut her hair, hair that once reached her knees, to the point to where it now blanketed her shoulders, and it was up in her usual high ponytail. She was wearing a pair of faded jeans, splattered with bright blue paint, and a green t-shirt, dotted her and there with white paint.

Ino took off her glasses and tucked them into her shirt, tugging on Hinata's long hair all the while. "It's grown a lot while you were away," she mused, "D'you want me to cut it?" Hinata shook her head, brushing her hair over her shoulder, "no, not yet. Eventually, but...not now."

Braiding her hair between her fingers, Hinata strode over to the kitchen, where Tenten was sitting at the small round table near the window, reading a book and sipping her coffee. She looked up as Hinata entered the kitchen, and smiled, placing her book on the table. "Mornin'!" she chirped, tossing Hinata an apple from the fruits basket, "sleep well?" She nodded, biting into her apple, "I slept pretty well," she said between bites, "Chiyo's still out, though...I have to wake her up soon, because we're going to the doctor today...she needs a check-up, since she was born so early..." Hinata tapped the apple to her lips as she stared out the window, lost in thought.

She turned back to them, when she heard quiet rustling, and saw the light reflect off the camera that Ino had in her hands. Ino pulled the camera away from her face, staring at the picture on the small screen, "perfect..." she sighed, stowing the camera back into her pocket, "just perfect." Smiling blissfully, she turned and moved back into the living room, humming something under her breath. Hinata stared at Ino's retreating figure, before turning to Tenten, who was drawing patterns on the cover of her book.

"Where's Neji?" she asked, taking the empty seat across from Tenten, "ah, he's gone. He went to work..." A blissed out look came over Tenten's face, as she thought of the bookstore where Neji worked, filled with rows upon rows of books. Hinata smiled at the look on her face, tossing her apple core into the trash, just as the phone began to ring. Tenten moved to answer it, while Hinata opened the refrigerator to pour herself some juice. "Hello?" Tenten leaned against the wall, the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder. The voice on the other end mumbled, and Tenten's face split into a smile, "she's right here!" she said happily, "Hey, Miss Songbird! Phone's for you!"

Hinata smiled at her old nickname, and plucked the phone from Tenten's hand, "hello?" she murmured, "hey! How's my favorite goddaughter?"

Hinata's face lit up at the voice she knew so well, "Jiraiya! How are you? And you know that I'm not your goddaughter..." He chuckled, "not yet...but you will be. Just you wait." Her face filled with color, and she tugged on a lock of her hair, "anyway! Is-did you need something? Is something wrong?" She could almost see Jiraiya waving his hand, brushing her questions aside, "nah, nah! Everything's just fine! I just wanted to talk about the songs you were going to sing on your next shift..." Hinata bit her lip, and wound a lock of hair around her finger,

"Well, I had a few things in mind..."

* * *

_Ok. Not a lot happened, I know. So sorry. _

Once again-thankyou, thank you, thank you! I appreciate every single review that I've been given so far! Thank you so much!

I don't know when the next chapter will be out (I'm working on it, I promise) so, until then...Happy holidays!

(It's snowing It's snowing It's snowing oh my goooooooosh)


	3. Chapter 3

_Sooo...How's everybody been? Good? Great! I was hoping to have this out by Single's Awareness Day (A.K.A: Valentine's) but apparently, that just wasn't meant to be._

_Meh. I'm sorry I was gone for...almost three months...forgiveness?_

**Disclaimer: **_Because I hate disclaimers SO MUCH, this is the last one, for the rest of this story. I don't own Naruto. Okaaaay~?_

_Song used: SPICE by Len Kagamine_

* * *

_April 10__, __2008; 8:04 pm_

"Ah...um...Tenten? Is this...ah...isn't it c-cold outside...?"

Hinata tugged on the hem of her skirt, looking at her reflection warily. Tenten placed her hands on her shoulders and smiled at her, wrapping a lock of her curled hair around her finger, "Mm...No, it's getting pretty warm this year, so you'll be fine." Hinata still looked unnerved, "and-and after, I can-?"

Tenten nodded, already knowing what she would say, "I have your jeans in a bag after you're done, Hinata."

While saying that, Tenten grabbed a bag from Hinata's dresser, and dangled it in front of Hinata's face, who grabbed the bag and clutched it to her chest, smiling in thanks. "Well...I guess...I guess I can wear this, then..." Looking over at her reflection again for the fifth time in ten minutes, Hinata's face filled with color.

She was wearing a large, white button up blouse over a jet black miniskirt, which she tugged on self-consciously every few seconds. Her hair was pressed and curled into mussed, crinkly waves. Her fingers drifted over the shirt's collar, lightly rubbing a soft pink stain that was never able to fade, and her eyes softened, her face stretching into a lazy smile.

"I'll wear this." she said softly, straightening the black tank top she wore underneath. "But," she turned sharply, glaring at the strappy black stilettos Tenten dangled on her two fingers, "I will _not_ wear _those_. I'll look like a...like a..." Hinata wouldn't say the word, so she shook her head sharply, and plopped on her bed, pulling Chiyo onto her lap. Chiyo squirmed in her mother's arms, snuffling, and her tiny nose wrinkled, not familiar with the scent clinging to the shirt Hinata was wearing.

Tenten glared down at Hinata, smelling a challenge in the air, and she raised the shoes up higher, "you _will_ wear these" she commanded, "You'll look hot. _Wear them._"

Hinata tossed her hair over her shoulder, her eyes not breaking away from Tenten's, "I _will not_ wear _those_" she repeated, fire sparking in the depths of her eyes. They fell silent, their eyes doing the talking for them, as they continued their quiet argument. Hinata crossed her legs, Tenten put a hand on her cocked hip, and their glares continued.

Finally, Hinata parted her lips, "boots" she commanded, her eyes narrowing. "Knee-high" Tenten demanded, and Hinata's glare intensified, "ankle" she snapped, tossing the stilettos to the ground, and Hinata beamed, relishing her victory.

"They'll be black?" "Of course, Hinata. Of course they will."

"Okay. Tell Neji to take Chiyo, and then we'll go"

_~O~_

"_Gozen yoji no CALL de me wo sama su "_

_kinou dare to doko ni ita?" nante _

_ii nogare to iiwake wo kougo ni tsukaiwake te tanoshin deru _

_"Kimi dakedayo" nante ne beta sugi ... warae chau dareka to tsunagatte itai dake?"_

Naruto's mind was blank, his face stuck in the same stunned expression that it morphed into almost five minutes ago. He never knew that Hinata's legs were so _long_…it must've been the skirt. It had to be. He shouldn't have been leering at her like some perv, but...those _legs_...

"_Nigakute HOT na SPICE _

_kimi dake ni ima ageru yo _

_muchuu ni saseru boku no TASTE o karadajuu de kanji te?"_

To his right, Suigetsu let out a low whistle; his silver eyes trained on Hinata as she brushed her hair over one shoulder, dark with something he didn't want to name. Naruto had to smother the urge to punch him in the face, making his eyes swell so he would _just stop looking at her._

But who was he kidding? _Everyone was looking at her._ She was the snake charmer and they were the cobras, caught up in her spell. Naruto sighed heavily, and leaned against the counter, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched.

He swore he'd seen that shirt before…

""_Chokusetsu atte hanashi tainda" _

_mochikake ta boku no nerai atari _

_aishiae ba dou demo yoku naruyo?_

_kagi o ake te LABYRINTH he_

_"aishiteru" da nante ne"_

Hinata leaned into the microphone, her lips curling into a lazy smile as she ran a hand through her hair, making it even more tousled.

It made her look like she just rolled out of bed.

_He fumbled for his keys, cursing as his trembling hands made him unable to unlock his door. She was grabbing onto the front of his shirt, pulling him closer as she giggled softly, her bottom lip pressing into the collar of his shirt. Naruto groaned, tangling a hand in her dark hair, and he sighed in relief as his apartment door swung open, pulling Hinata inside as he roughly pressed his lips against hers-_

"_Nigaku te amai SYRUP_

_boku dake ni name saseteyo_

_kasane ta hada to kimi no TASTE de _

_boku no koto o mita shite!"_

Naruto dug his forehead into his hands and sighed, closing his eyes.

He couldn't decide now if that night was a mistake, or…or something else. Before, it was so easy to say it was a mistake; the mere thought of wanting more than friendship from Hinata was…_wrong._ He was her friend, her _best _friend; how on earth could he possibly take more from her? And…he'd wanted _Sakura_; he thought it would've worked, that they would've stayed…But it didn't, and now he was alone again, his something-much-much-_more_ singing on the stage.

So close, yet so far.

"_Aisuru koto o shira nai_

_atashi wa kore de choudoii_

_aijou nante hitsuyou to shinai_

_koi no houga raku desho?"_

As she sang that, the mischievous smile on her face faded, changing into a sad, thoughtful expression, but as soon as it appeared, it was gone, the sly curl of her lips returning as she sang the chorus. That was Hinata; his best friend, an enigma, and his someone that _could_ be something more wrapped up in a small woman. By now, the music had ended and the lights had vanished, the audience's applause roaring as Hinata left the stage. He couldn't see her, but he swore he could _hear_ her, each footstep, the click of her heels as she took each step. And just as she passed by the bar, the lights returning to their irritatingly bright rainbows, Naruto realized that he called her name.

She stopped, and slowly looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

Hinata turned towards him, pressing her fingertips together, a sign that she was extremely nervous, before stepping towards the bar, her eyes locked onto his. "N-Naruto…" her voice was a mere whisper, almost drowned out by the music, yet he heard her perfectly, "how…how are you? I-I haven't…" Her voice trailed off as he reached out, wrapping a lock of hair around his finger. Naruto stared down at the lock of hair, surprised; he didn't even know he'd done that. "Your hair's longer," he finally said, his throat suddenly dry as he gently tucked the lock of hair behind her ear.

Hinata closed her eyes and sighed, trapping his hand between both of hers, pressing the palm of his hand against her face, "yours, too," she sighed, "and you look so tired…are you sleeping at all?"

Naruto was always a good liar, ever since he was young. But through all their years together, Naruto could never, _ever_ lie to Hinata. His eyes slid closed and he shook his head, the tips of Hinata's fingers leaving a slow burn from the corner of his eye to his jaw. "Hina," he began to say, "I-"

"Woah! Hitting on the fresh meat already, Naruto?"

And just like that, the bubble that surrounded them had burst, the sound and lights rushing at them with the speed of a freight train. Naruto and Hinata jerked apart as though they'd burned each other. Suigetsu's face was spread in a wide lewd grin, but his eyes were cold chips of ice, and the meaning in his eyes was clear, '_I called her first. She is _mine'

Naruto's teeth ground together in frustration, as Hinata let her hair fall around her burning face. Suigetsu's smile became something more charming, as he placed his hands out for a handshake, "I'm Suigetsu, and I work along with this blonde zombie. What's your name, pretty lady?"

Hinata's face, if possible, flushed even more, and she placed her trembling hands into his, "I'm…ah…I'm, uh…H-Hinata…" Her eyes drifted downward, staring at the toes of her boots nervously. Suigetsu chuckled, "Hinata, huh? Such a pretty name, for such a very pretty girl." His smile never disappearing, he pressed his lips against the palm of her hand. Hinata's blush grew so dark, the heat of it practically radiated off of her, and Naruto felt the blood freeze over in his veins, the edge of his vision turning red. "Uh-well…I-I…um…err…"

"Hinata!"

Tenten appeared behind Hinata, placing her hands on Hinata's tense shoulders, which quickly relaxed under her hands. Tenten grinned at her, squeezing her shoulders gently, "I was looking for you. D'you want your pants now or not?"

Hinata nodded, and slid her hand out of Suigetsu's grip, slowly backing away. Naruto hadn't even known she was still holding his hand, and when her hand slid out of his, he felt empty, bereft. As Hinata walked away from the bar, her hand trapped in Tenten's tight grip, she looked back, her eyes locking right onto Naruto's. The mere expression on her face screamed at him, _'I _miss_ you. It's lonely. I have so much to tell you.'_ All Naruto could do was give her a small smile, until she was pulled into the sea of bodies, vanishing from his sight.

As soon as she was gone, Suigetsu punched him roughly in the arm, "what the hell, Uzumaki?" he hissed, "what're you doing, making moves on her like that? I saw her first!"

Naruto was already so tired, the lights giving him his usual headache, and Suigetsu's words were like throwing a match to a puddle of gasoline, quickly sparking his temper. "What?" he snapped, " 'I called her first?' What the hell, are we in kindergarten or something?"

He pressed his hands against the counter as he glared at Suigetsu, his eyes practically glowing from the force of his rage. "Hinata," he hissed, "is my _best friend._ She has been for sixteen years. _Sixteen years._ I have known her a _hell_ of a lot longer than you have, so you have no right to tell me to stay away! She was mine the moment she sat by me in Miss Kurenai's class in _first grade._ So before you can tell me anything, you'd better have a better argument than '_I saw her first'_"

Not looking at his face, Naruto quickly turned and moved farther down the bar, steaming, wishing he had some aspirin.

He felt terrible; he was tired, always tired, and lonely. He wanted to go home, to sleep; he wanted to find Hinata and talk to her about what happened over the past eight months and he just wanted to know _why?_ Why did she leave? Everything surrounding her just made his head ache even more, and he closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath. Taking one last deep breath, Naruto pasted on a bright smile to the woman in front of him as he asked for the drink she wanted, just as Hinata made her way onto the stage, jeans on, a smile in place.

It was just another night.

_~O~_

_April 12__th__ 2008, 1:38 am_

Hinata flopped over her pillow for what seemed to be the millionth time, waiting for the heavy eyelids and dragging limbs, signs that sleep would soon fall upon her.

But the signs hadn't come...for almost six hours.

Oh, she was tired; so tired, all she did as soon as she walked through the door was kick off her boots and jeans and change into the first thing she grabbed off the floor before falling into bed. But as soon as her back hit the mattress, it was as though she was wide awake yet dead tired at the same time. And she _still couldn't go to sleep. _

It was very frustrating.

She huffed, and hung her head over the edge of the mattress, the edges of her hair pooling on the floor. Before, sleep came so easily; she just leaned into the pillows, and she was gone. But now…now, the bed just felt…_wrong_. It felt like she wasn't supposed to be here in the first place; the bed was now too large, too cold…too empty. T

hen, it finally hit her. Hinata knew where she had to go now. Her mind made up, she practically jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of black shorts lying on the floor. Moving to her closet, she shoved handfuls of random clothes into a bag, before picking up the phone and calling a taxi.

Hitching the bag over her shoulder, she went to the crib Tenten had bought her by the window, and gently picked up Chiyo, who was snoring softly. Hinata smiled, tenderly running a finger down her cheek, "we're going to go meet someone special…" she whispered softly, and she quietly slipped out of her room, down the hall, and out into the warm almost-spring air. In ten minutes, Hinata was in a taxi, heading toward the one place she should've been all along, staring tiredly out the window as the streetlights played over her face.

The next day, when Tenten and Neji would awake, they would see that Hinata's room was empty; Chiyo gone from her crib, and in the kitchen, on the counter there would be a note. It was a small sticky note, and in her familiar neat writing, there were only two words:

_Thank you._

Holding the note between her fingers, Tenten would smile, and then start the coffee, preparing to make breakfast for Neji and herself.

_~O~_

It was almost two in the morning, and Naruto was trying to sleep when he heard the front door to his apartment open. He froze, his shoulders becoming stiff as he heard his unwanted visitor moving into his house. Something dropped to the ground, and he heard a soft sigh, a mere whisper that almost sounded like _'I'm home'_. Shoulders still tensed, Naruto closed his eyes and evened out his breathing, falling into a fake sleep. Soft footsteps quickly moved down the hall towards his room, and Naruto's heart pounded fiercely as each step got closer.

He was so tense, so focused in trying to stay 'asleep' that he didn't notice his visitor come into his room, until he felt a small, cool hand on his shoulder. It was silent, and then:

"I know you aren't asleep. You can stop acting now"

She sounded as tired as he felt but he didn't care because it was _her_. _It was Hinata_. Naruto let out a shaky breath, and slowly opened his eyes, turning to his other side so he could face her. She looked paler than usual, her dark hair tossed up into a sloppy ponytail, the dark circles under her eyes made the lavender color glow silver. She was wearing a white button up shirt that was much too big for her and disturbingly familiar, and she was carrying something in her arms. No…wait…not something…_someone._

And just like that, it all clicked, and Naruto shot up, staring at the sleeping baby in disbelief. Hinata was holding the child tightly to her chest, so tightly that he couldn't see the baby's face. "What…" he rasped, running a hand down his tired face, "when…? _Who…?_" Hinata looked down, taking half a step backwards, before her shoulders squared with determination, and she sat down on the bed, scooting close to him until their hips were touching.

"This…" she whispered, "this is my Chiyo. This is why…why I went away…" She was wary of his reaction, but she pulled the baby away from her and he saw Chiyo for the first time.

It was as though the puzzle pieces finally clicked together.

Naruto stared in disbelief, as he stared at a mix of Hinata…_and himself_. He saw little pieces of himself _everywhere_ in this baby; from the silvery blonde wisps mixed with the midnight black, to the shape of her nose, to the set of her mouth. But then, when Chiyo opened her eyes slightly before falling back to sleep, what Naruto saw floored him completely.

_She had his eyes_; shaped exactly like his, and a blue that almost looked like the sky, mixed with pale lavender to form something different.

He couldn't believe it; he was staring at her and he _still couldn't believe it. _

Finally, after a silence that seemed to stretch on for forever, Naruto spoke, "all…all this time…?" he croaked out, "you went away for…because of…?"

Hinata nodded, eyes filled with tears, "I didn't…I didn't want to bother you with…you were so happy, and I just…" Her tears began to fall, and she used her free hand to swipe at the traitor tears, "I-I wanted…I wanted you to be-be happy," she said, her voice cracking with each word, "I didn't want you to be burdened with this…so soon…we were stupid, and I-I…" Hinata fell silent, sniffling, her tears falling in a steady stream, and Naruto stared at her, eyes wide. Then, for the first time in almost nine months, Naruto hugged her, and the feeling of her in his arms felt like he was home.

In unison they both sighed, sagging into each other as months of exhaustion rushed at them. Naruto blinked, and he almost was unable to open his eyes again; he didn't want to sleep yet…Hinata was finally here…and they had so much to talk about…so much to say…But then his head was hitting the pillow, and someone was leaning on him and his last thought was about how _tired_ he was, before his eyes closed and he was asleep.

_~O~_

The next morning, when Naruto awoke, he was alone.

When he woke up to empty arms, his heart screamed, squeezing and tearing at the same time, and he reached up to press a hand to chest, as though that mere gesture could stop it. Instead of the fabric of his shirt, Naruto's fingers came in contact with a soft head of hair. The hair moved, a small sound of protest coming from it, and Naruto looked down, eyes wide. Chiyo stared back at him, blinking, her tiny hands gripping tightly onto his shirt. It was as if he was suddenly taken over, an instinct that was brand new yet extremely familiar coming over him.

Keeping his right hand on the back of her head, Naruto placed his right hand on Chiyo's small back, and slowly sat up. Then, as he held his tiny child in both of his hands, Naruto just stared at her. Chiyo stared back, as though she was assessing him in her own way, before her face broke into a smile, and she laughed, her hands reaching up to grab his nose. He smiled back at her, suddenly relieved, and held her to him like a precious jewel as he slid out of bed. Moving up the narrow hallway, Naruto entered his living room, and saw Hinata sitting on the couch, looking out the window.

Her hair was still in a messy ponytail, strands of hair curling wildly from her sleep, but her face was no longer pale, and she looked well rested. The look on her face made Naruto wonder if, he looked the same way. Naruto stepped forward, and Hinata turned to look at him, standing up from the couch. As she moved towards him, Naruto stared at her shirt, his eyes widening somewhat. It was the shirt. The shirt he wore that night; he'd always recognize it because of that pink smudge on the collar. He was absolutely sure that the little pink blot would never wash away.

Hinata looked at him, but her eyes slowly began to drift to the floor, her hands fiercely twisting the hem of her shirt in her nervousness. Finally, the silence became unbearable, and she spoke, "I…um…" she bit her lip, "I thought you'd…I thought you'd want a little space, so…um…I-" Keeping Chiyo secured in his arm, Naruto reached out and pulled Hinata close. Wrapping his left arm around her waist, he buried his face into her neck and sighed. "No more space," he mumbled, "I've had more space from you than I could stand. If I had my way, we would be surgically attached to the hips. Stay."

Little by little, Hinata's shoulders relaxed as he spoke, and one hand found its way to the nape of his neck, while the other touched the side of his jaw. Hinata closed her eyes, and two relieved tears slid down her face.

"That's good," she whispered, "because I don't want any more space, either."

At her words, the world seemed to brighten just a little bit, and Naruto's home felt more full.

* * *

_So...was your Single's Awareness Day loverly?_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I have no explanation. Writer's block. I suck.**_

_Song used: Fire Flower by Len Kagamine_

* * *

_April 15, 2008_

"Naruto…what're you doing?"

Hinata placed the book she was reading on her stomach as she looked over at Naruto, who was staring intently at his laptop, his fingers flying across the keys. They were sitting in Naruto's living room, Hinata upside down on the couch, her legs swinging over the cushions as she read, picking up on her English, which she was painfully behind when it came to speaking.

It had been two days since Hinata moved in with him, and when she did, she seemed to drag the light back in. The atmosphere in their home was lighter, the dark, heavy feeling gone, now replaced with noise and light and laughter. He never wanted the feeling to go away.

Naruto looked up at the sound of her voice, and took off the glasses that were perched precariously on the edge of his nose. Earlier, Hinata had called him out on it; she didn't remember him ever wearing glasses. Grimacing, he explained that since he worked on the computer so much, it screwed up his vision a little bit, and he had to wear glasses whenever he worked on the computer. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Naruto sighed, and leaned into the cushions of the couch, "I'm working on bills," he sighed, "for the club. Jiraiya asked me too…well, he _always _asks me to…I'm starting to think he's mentally incompetent when it comes to math."

Hinata snorted softly, and Naruto grinned, placing his glasses on the table. "And what about you?" he asked, picking up the book on Hinata's stomach, "how's your English?"

Now it was Hinata's turn to sigh, "I can read every sentence," she murmured, "but speaking…I've forgotten how hard it was to just…English is so _complicated_." Naruto hummed softly, placing his head on her stomach, "well…when I was learning how to speak English, I just started small. So…give me a small sentence." Hinata bit her lip, and looked around, speaking about the first thing she laid her eyes on, "_the sky is blue."_

Naruto grinned, and poked her in the ribs, "see? Not so hard, right? Okay, give me another sentence." Hinata closed her eyes in thought, "umm…_Chiyo is so…quiet. I am am-ama-ama-z-eed"_

Said person was lying on the carpet on her back, staring at the television, hypnotized. Hinata's nose wrinkled; she said '_amazed'_ wrong…will she ever get this right?

Naruto poked her in the side again, and she squirmed away, "no. No faces like that. It took me _forever_ to pronounce words right, too. You know. You were there. It always takes lots of practice; you don't always have to get it right on the first try."

By now, Hinata had sat up slightly, staring down at Naruto, who was still lying on her stomach. Her mouth quirked into a small smile, and she tried to blow a strand of hair out of her face, only to have it fall back over her eye. Naruto blinked, and then slowly sat up, brushing the lock of hair away from her face.

He looked at her, the expression on his face comically serious, not really matching with the words he said, "_You're quite pretty. I might have to kiss you now."_

Hinata breathed in; a sharp gasp of air, and her heart slowed, then sped up in tempo as his sentence finally reached her ears. A dark flush spread up her chest and across her face, and Naruto slid closer to her, his eyes locked on her lips. Hinata wasn't sure about this; she wanted it, oh _God_, did she ever want it…but not now. Not so early; when everything was so new…when they were toeing this thin, blurred line…Hinata ached to kiss him. But not now. Not yet. Hinata smiled, and placed her hand over his, pressing his hand close to her cheek.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head, her nose lightly brushing against his, and she whispered one single word: "No."

It happened very fast after that.

Jerking forward, Hinata quickly kissed the tip of a stunned Naruto's nose, before jumping up from the couch, and picking Chiyo up from the ground, spinning in circles as she rained kisses over her tiny face. Meanwhile, Naruto stared at her, stunned. Not just at Hinata, but at _himself_. What on earth had gotten into him, trying to kiss her? Deep, deep inside he wanted to; words could not _describe_ how much he wanted to. It felt right, yet…wrong at the same time. This was all too new; it definitely was not supposed to be rushed.

And maybe, just maybe, if he played his cards right…

Naruto shook his head lightly, and grinned, placing his glasses back on his nose. Hinata looked at him from the corner of her eye, rubbing her cheek against Chiyo's who looked at Naruto, dazed. They had time…they had all the time in the world.

_~O~_

_4:35 am_

Naruto couldn't sleep.

Naruto and Hinata had just gotten back from work a few minutes ago, bleary-eyed, their feet screaming at them, dying for rest. It was a late night tonight; much later than usual.

Hinata quickly put Chiyo in her crib and put on her nightclothes, asleep before she even hit the pillows. Naruto put on his pajamas, and lifted Hinata up to tuck her under the covers, before sliding in next to her. He'd wrapped his arm around her waist, and closed his eyes. But, as soon as he closed his eyes, his mind began to race. Unconsciously, that hand that was around Hinata's waist drifted, his fingers spreading, his palm pressing into the softness of her belly.

_'What was it like?_' he wondered, '_how was she able to do that? All alone…well, not really _alone_, but…'_ Naruto's brows wrinkled at the path his thoughts took, '_why…why wasn't I _there?'

He'd been asking himself that question a lot. His eyes narrowed, and he sat up, pulling the covers off both Hinata and himself. Hinata sighed softly, but did not wake, her legs curling somewhat. She was wearing another one of his shirts, and shorts. Hovering over her, Naruto unbuttoned the few buttons on the bottom of the shirt, and he stared at Hinata's bare stomach. The skin was rounder, softer, a few faint stretch marks decorating her skin, her hipbones rising gently through the flesh as they always did. Closing his eyes, Naruto gently pressed his forehead against her stomach and imagined.

He imagined that the soft skin was drawn tight, her stomach distended from the life that she held inside. Naruto opened his eyes slightly, picturing it; maybe, if he thought hard enough, he'd be able to imagine how it had felt when Chiyo kicked. It was probably strong, yet soft, so it wouldn't have bothered Hinata when she'd done it. Naruto's face crumpled and the world blurred, breaking the illusion that he'd made. Blinking, he let his tears fall on Hinata's bare skin as he cursed himself.

_He should've been there_. He was supposed to have been there, helping Hinata with sickness, freaking out whenever Chiyo kicked, goofing off as they picked names. Instead, he was here, trying to stay in a relationship that was destined to fail, while Hinata left for his sake, thinking that their unborn baby would've been something that he didn't want.

"I am such an _idiot_" he whispered, his voice thick, and he tried to stop his tears.

_~O~_

When Hinata blearily opened her eyes, a warm rain was falling on her skin.

For a moment, she thought she was outside, sleeping as it rained. But then she felt it; the shaky breaths, almost in time with the steady droplets streaking across her skin. She was so tired; her brain filled with sticky cobwebs, and yet she knew what was going on with sharp clarity. Hinata took a deep breath through her nose, and reached up, tangling her fingers in the hairs at the nape of Naruto's neck. "What's wrong?" she murmured sleepily, "what's wrong, Naruto?" For a while, he didn't speak, apparently pulling himself back together.

When he finally talked, his voice was shaky, raspy from his silent tears, "why? Why wasn't…why wasn't I _there?_" His voice broke at the end, and he shook his head, the ends of his hair tickling her skin, "I was supposed to _be there._ I was supposed to help you whenever you needed it, and lose my mind every time Chiyo kicked, and-but I _wasn't._ What was _wrong _with me?"

Naruto's hands cradled her lower ribcage, and his shoulders shook roughly with each breath. Hinata stared at him, before closing her eyes, her hands cradling his face, and she gently pulled him towards her, making him crawl up her body until he was hovering over her, his hands beside her shoulders, his knees on the outside of her right knee.

Looking into his eyes, Hinata wiped the tear tracks away, shaking her head. "You didn't do anything wrong," she finally said, her voice tired, "It was me. I was the one who ran away, not you. I should've come to you, and we could've tried to make this work. Instead, I got scared, and ran away instead, because I thought it was the better option." She pointed at herself, "my fault. Not yours."

Naruto blinked, two tears landing on Hinata's face, running down her cheeks; his tears becoming hers. Hinata smiled at him, and just then, in her crib by the window, Chiyo began to cry. Hinata closed her eyes for a moment, and Naruto pressed his forehead against hers, "I'll do it," he sighed, pressing his lips against her cheek, tasting the tears, "it's fine. Just go to sleep; I'll take care of her."

Hinata's eyes were already closing, her fingers trailing down his jaw, and before her hand hit the mattress, she had fallen back to sleep. Naruto pushed himself off the bed, placing the blankets back on Hinata, before moving towards Chiyo in her crib. As soon as he appeared, Chiyo's loud cries became small hiccups as she looked up at him, her face red and tearstained. Naruto grinned at her, and picked her up, "Hey, Chiyo," he whispered, "you're crying too, huh? Well, don't worry, Chiyo…hmm…" Naruto pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes, "y'know…Chiyo is such a mouthful. I'm going to call you Chi now. Okay?"

She looked at him, blinking, before she erupted into bubbly giggles.

Naruto held her close, and they quietly left the room, heading to the kitchen, "okay…so we'll get you something to eat. And if that isn't it…well…changing diapers isn't that hard…right?" Thirty minutes, achanged diaper, and one bottle later, Naruto was lying on the couch, Chiyo curled up on his chest as he talked. Naruto told her stories, memories from his youth. He told her everything he knew about Hinata; in almost every story he'd told, she was involved in it, in some way. He told Chiyo how sorry he was, how he wished that he'd been there from day one. There were moments, as he talked, that he thought that Chiyo probably wasn't even listening. But he spoke to her anyway; telling her how much he loved her, in such a short amount of time.

Soon, Chiyo's tiny snores reached his ears, and he stood up, closing his eyes as Chiyo rubbed her face against his shirt, her small hands clinging to the fabric while she got comfortable. Re-entering their room, Naruto carefully placed Chiyo back into her crib, tucking the blanket around her. Hovering over her crib, he took a moment just to stare at her, running a finger over her tiny cheek. His heart swelled to the point of pain, and Naruto bit at the inside of his lip.

Leaning over, he pressed a soft kiss into Chiyo's hair, "love you, Chi," he whispered.

Hinata's eyes opened slightly when he slid back into the bed, "'s she asleep?" she asked, her voice thick with her exhaustion. Naruto ran a hand over her mussed bangs, "yeah, she's out like a light now." Hinata sighed, and her arms wound around his neck, her eyes already drifting closed, "tha's good…good…" she murmured. Naruto placed a hand on her hip, his thumb gently rubbing one of her prominent hipbones, and smiled, his eyes slowly closing. "You're too good for me…" Hinata whispered, pressing close to him, and Naruto hummed softly. Hinata said something else, a gentle babbling, water over rocks, but Naruto couldn't make out what she said, his mind full of fuzz. He softly squeezed Hinata's hip, before he was finally able to go to sleep.

_~O~_

_April 16, 2008, 11:15 am_

"Hinata…is she supposed to be so…small?"

Hanabi cautiously held Chiyo in her hands, away from her body as she stared at her curiously. Chiyo stared back at her, interested, before stretching out her tiny arms towards her, "uhbwuh." Hanabi blinked for a moment, eyes wide, before holding Chiyo close to her and flopping onto her bed, clenching her eyes shut as she fought the urge to squeal.

Hinata, who was already sitting on Hanabi's large bed, shrugged, and hugged a pillow to her chest. "I think she got mom's build," she said quietly, staring at the two of them, "you remember how small mom was."

The sisters fell silent, as they thought of their mother, who had passed away when Hinata was ten, and Hanabi was four.

The silence between them was comfortable, Hinata staring at Hanabi as she sat Chiyo on her stomach, making sure her head was leaning against her knees. "Dad didn't mean to do it," Hanabi finally said, using Chiyo's tiny hands to make her wiggle around, her own little puppet. She said nothing, looking down at her hands, playing nervously with her fingers. "I am serious. He feels pretty bad about…about what happened. I think he wants to talk to you. I'm not sure." Hinata stayed quiet, moving to lie next to Hanabi, playing with Chiyo's foot. "I want you to come back home," Hanabi continued, "The house just seems so empty, so…dark. First Neji, now you…"

She reached out, and brushed a lock of hair away from Hanabi's face; she was awed, now more than ever, at how much Hanabi looked like their father. The only thing that told people that they were sisters was their eyes; they both inherited their mother's eyes.

Still stroking her sister's hair, Hinata spoke, "I miss you. A lot. But…" she thought of her new home, the apartment she shared with Naruto, "Hanabi, I like living with Naruto more. A lot more." Hanabi's facial expression didn't change, but Hinata saw the faint tightening around her eyes; nothing ever escaped their eyes. "I will always visit you; I will come see you whenever I can, no matter what dad says. You can come visit us, too. You haven't seen Naruto in a while, I bet." She smiled, "I _will_ visit you. All the time. I promise. I promise."

Hanabi, still quiet, picked Chiyo off her lap and held her close, her arms wrapping around her tiny frame. "I'll visit you, too" she said quietly, "As much as I can. You and Naruto." She looked up at her sister and smiled, that stubborn lock of mocha brown hair falling back into her face. "That's good…we'd like that. Now," Hinata quickly sat up, grabbing Hanabi's hand, "let's go somewhere. To the movies, maybe?"

"No, the mall! Let's go to the mall!"

_12:02 am_

"_Uchuu no hajimari ga_

_ano kuchizuke da to shitara_

_hoshizora wa_

_futari koboshita kiseki no ato_

_Like a Fire Flower kimi ga_

_Mitsuke yasui you ni_

_Raimei no gotoku yume todorokase__"_

The volume of the music ran through her with deep vibrations, and Hinata smiled as she sang, putting more meaning behind it than she had in months. After all this time, so many months, so many _years,_ she _finally_ felt like she got most of her things together. There were sacrifices, of course, she expected it; but the reward in the end was worth it. She felt…really happy. Even though there was absolutely nothing to be happy about.

"'_Saishou__ kara kimi wo suki ni naranakya yokatta' nante_

_Bareterundarou na_

_Ahh~_

_Umare mo sodachi mo_

_Barabarana bokura_

_Sugata mo katachi mo_

_Sorezorena bokura_

_Otoko mo onna mo_

_Chiguhaguna bokura_

_Sore de mo kokoro wo_

_Hitotsu ni dekita nara__"_

Hinata closed her eyes and outstretched her arm as she drew out the last note, the small guitar solo ringing in her ears. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the door to the club open and close, but soon thought nothing of it. Just another person…

"_Jinsei no tochuu ga senkou hanabi da to shitara_

_Isshun de mo futari terasu himawari no you ni_

_Like a Fire Flower itsuka_

_Yozora ni tairin wo_

_Sakasu sono toki made matte kure"_

Slowly, Hinata's eyes slid over to the bar, and her smile widened even more; he saw it. She knew he did. He probably thinks she's crazy, because she's so happy…

"_Saishou kara kimi wo suki de irarete yokatta__"__ nante_

_Sora ni utaunda~''_

When she hopped off the stage, Hinata was practically skipping to the bar; she felt so light, like she was made out of air. Naruto raised an eyebrow when she neared, but smiled back at her, nonetheless. "Wow, you're _really_ happy today, aren't you?" he chuckled at her, and she just grinned back at him. "I can't help it," she sighed, leaning on the bar's surface, "I'm just so…happy. Happier than I've been in months. It feels like…like I'm going to fly away any second now."

Naruto closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against hers, "well, I hope not. I'll be here to hold you down if that happens." She opened her eyes and smiled at him, and he smiled back, both of them trapped in their own impenetrable bubble.

Which was popped by a new, surprising, interruption.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock, as a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and she was pulled into the tightest hug of her life. "Hinata!" a voice cried out, "I _missed_ you _so much_! You haven't called me _at all_!" Her mouth dropped open in shock, and tears filled her eyes and raced down her face. This happiness, she was so sure that if it filled her up anymore, then she would surely burst, or she'd be lifted up, and would float away.

Reaching up, she squeezed the arms that were wrapped around her, wiping at her happy tears, "T-Temari…?"

She could feel her smiling, the gesture trapped in the strands of her hair, "Hi, Princess."

"Hey, hey! Don't forget us!"

Hinata's lips trembled, "Gaara…Kankuro…Nezumi…You're all here…"

She was happy, so happy; she was definitely sure that it would kill her.

* * *

_**Again. I suck. I think this chapter sucks, too. Mindless cotton fluff until I finish this story. I'm sorry. Again: I suck. A lot.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_T'sup. Did you miss meee? I missed yoooou. What's been goin' on? Weeeell...graduated. Went to Canada. Rotted away in my house for the past summer. _**

**_Y'know. Fun stuff. _**

**_I mean, I haven't been, y'know, *gone*-I've still been writing stuff. Just...not...this._**

**_But now I got my mojo back! I know what I'm doing with this! So...the next chapter will be the last one. Then I'll start on the sequel._**

**_Sound good? Yes? Great!_**

**_Well...read on!_**

* * *

_April 20__th__, 2008; 12:45 pm_

It was just a phone.

A phone. Shiny, barely touched…and reactivated. Now that she was able to pay for the phone bill, putting it all in her name. Yet, here Hinata was, sitting there; staring at the cell phone like it was going to bite her. She could've spent her money on anything else; clothes, food, playthings for Chiyo…but noooo, she chose her _phone._

Naruto stared at her, tucking his chin into his palm, placing his other hand on Chiyo's small back as she 'om-nom-nom'ed on the large bill of a gigantic stuffed duck. "You're gonna have to call her eventually, you know." He said quietly, "I'm sure it won't be that bad…"

She bit her lip, slowly picking up the phone, "but, she-"

"-likes you a lot more. _A lot more._ It'll be fine. Trust me!"

She severely doubted his logic, but she trusted him more than she doubted him, so, with a shaky hand, she dialed the number and pressed the phone to her ear. "Can't we tell her next year?" she grumbled, flopping into the covers of their bed. Naruto opened his mouth, about to say something, but someone answered the phone, and Hinata quickly pushed herself onto her elbows.

"Hello?"

"Um…uh…K-Kushina?"

"…Hinata? _Hinata?_ Oh my gosh, I haven't heard from you in-in for_ever!_ Oh, it's-Minato! Hey, Minato! It's Hinata! _Hinata! _I _know!_"

"Um…yeah. Hi…"

Her voice faded feebly, and she played with the covers as Naruto shoved his face into a pillow to try and muffle his laughter. "Well, if you're here, that means my son's nearby, right?"

"Um. Yeah. He-he's over…right next to me"

"Ha. Figures. Peas in a pod, you two. So!" Kushina said brightly, and Hinata's heartbeat increased more, if possible, "how've you been? It's been so long…almost a year now, right?"

"Yeah…I've been…uh…well…busy?" Naruto snorted, sensing the double entendre, and Hinata's face burned as she quickly caught on, biting her knuckles to keep herself from bursting into nervous giggles.

"Really now? D'you have a job?"

"Oh, yes ma'am; Naruto and I, we work at Club-"

"-Kyuubi, of course. The one Jiraiya owns, right, right…that's good. What e-"

Just then, Chiyo decided to unlatch herself from her duck and let out a loud squeal, followed by a screech of laughter. No one moved; Hinata could even hear Kushina stop breathing on the other line. "Uh-" Hinata began to sputter some kind of explanation, "it-it…I, um-it was a-"

"Hinata."

Her voice died instantly at Kushina's tone, and she trembled, waiting for what she had to say.

"Put him on the phone."

"B-but I-"

"_Put him on now, Hinata."_

Looking at Naruto, she cringed, mouthing an apology as she handed the phone over to him and he slowly, hesitantly, pressed it too his ear.

"…you know that we're old enough, right?"

It appeared that that was the wrong thing to say, as he winced at the shrill buzzing on the other line. "Mom, I-"

He was cut off, loudly, it appeared, as he winced even more, holding the phone away from him slightly, "no, no, I-no! No, I wasn't! She was-she-" he glanced at her, mouthed an apology, "mom, she _left._ For _me._ Be-because she thought-"

Naruto was cut off again, but Kushina's voice was softer; soft, but still sharp, "no, no, we're not…we broke up months ago. Yeah, she-no. Yes."

Hinata was quite confused by now, and scooted over to Chiyo, pulling her off the duck and into her arms, still listening to the one-sided conversation.

"No…yes, yes, we're living together. Yes, she's taken care of. The baby?" Naruto's face had softened by now, and he leaned back, relaxed, "it's a girl. Chiyo-yeah, I know. I call her Chi. Am I going t-um. Maybe. Yes…I'm still thinking about it. Ah-mom, mom! It's okay! We'll figure it out, okay? One thing at a time, alright?"

Kushina said something, and Naruto grinned, "Okay. Yeah, yeah, I love you, too. Okay. Here she is."

He grinned, utterly relaxed, and handed the phone back to Hinata, who was quietly becoming a nervous wreck, pressing the phone back to her ear with a shaking hand, "uh-um….I'm-"

"I expect pictures." Kushina interrupted her calmly, "from, like, day one. I mean it. Every single picture. And I demand at least _one_ visit. _One._"

Hinata felt herself relax, and she bit her lip, "um…you're not…you're not-"

"Disappointed? Oh, immensely. I wasn't expecting this to happen so soon, Hinata; I thought you two knew better."

Hinata's skin flamed up, not so much at the fact that Kushina, her _second mother_, was disappointed in her, but at the fact that she expected Naruto and her to have any children _at all._ "We were drunk," she mumbled, plucking at a loose thread, "it…it was a mistake, yes. But…not one that I regret."

It was silent on the other line, and Chiyo babbled in her arms, holding one of her fingers in her tiny hand.

"Well….I trust you, Hinata. You've got a good head on your shoulders-Naruto, too; the two of you will do fine…just fine."

Hinata fully relaxed at that, and flopped over onto her side, boneless, "thank you," she mumbled, voice muffled by the blankets, "you have no idea how much that means to me."

Kushina laughed softly, "I didn't know you were so worried…"

They went silent, and Hinata looked up when Naruto entered the room; she didn't even notice him leaving. He looked up and smiled slightly, his attention quickly taken by Chiyo, who sucked on her bottle greedily.

"Hm? Yes, Minato? Oh…alright. Hinata? I've got to go now."

"Oh…a-alright…"

"I love you, kid. And tell my idiot son I love him, too. And his father wants to talk to him later."

Hinata burned scarlet, smothering her smile in her blankets, "I-I love you, too, Kushina. G-goodbye!"

Closing the phone, she closed her eyes and sighed, relieved that the conversation had gone so well. "See?" Naruto smiled smugly, placing a now-empty bottle onto the nightstand, "I told you it wouldn't be that bad. Mom _loves_ you."

Hinata picked her head up and looked at him, a strange light in her eye, "well, then…" she said, waving her phone around, "I guess it's _your_ turn to make a phone call now, isn't it?"

He raised an eyebrow, "who am I supposed to-"

"I think you know who."

His second eyebrow joined the other, before narrowing slightly, the corner of his mouth turning up into a smirk. He plucked his own phone off the nightstand, casually tossing the cord of the charger it was attached to on the floor. But, even though he moved so confidently, she saw the slight tremor of his hands-nothing escaped Hinata's eyes.

Naruto flicked the phone open with his finger, dialed a number, and pressed the phone to his ear, 'challenge accepted' he mouthed to her, and she couldn't help but smile, even though her heart was aching with anxiety.

Someone must've answered the phone, because Naruto quickly straightened up, smiling nervously for someone who wouldn't see it, "eheheheh…Sakura? Hi, it's-yeah, it's me. Oh, I've been…great. Yes, I mean it. Anyway, I've called to tell you something…."

_~O~_

_4:25 pm_

"And he said it? Just like that?"

Hinata nodded, letting Temari wind a lock of her hair around her finger, "yeah," she sighed, "just like that."

It was later in the day, and Hinata had gone to the hotel that her friends were staying at while they visited. She really didn't want to lie around the house until she had to go to work; it made her feel so lazy. Lying next to her, Matsuri sighed, "wow…Naruto's got balls."

"True that," Temari agreed, "calling your ex and telling them you had a kid? _While_ they were still together? That takes major balls. Did she yell?"

Hinata looked up at the ceiling, pondering; well, Naruto did wince every now and then during the conversation…"She was either yelling or saying some…not nice things," she decided, "that's something Sakura would do.

"Yeah, that's very Sakura-ish."

Hinata shrugged and turned onto her side, tucking her hands under her cheek and sighing heavily.

Temari, who upgraded from twirling to braiding a lock of Hinata's hair, stopped and looked up, pressing her lips into a line, "…you're feeling some kind of way." She announced, "What's up?"

She shrugged, hoping Temari wouldn't push it, because she really didn't _know_ what was wrong, but something certainly _was._

But it was Temari, and a Temari that didn't press on was like an Ino who didn't like art, or a Tenten who was tired of reading; it just wasn't done.

Temari poked her gently in the side, making her squirm slightly, "come on, it has to be _some_thing…you're not upset, are you? Over them, well…being a thing in the first place?"

She shook her head, "I was never upset over that," she said, tasting the half-lie on her tongue, "and, well…it's over now, so it's fine."

But it really wasn't _completely_ fine, but she wouldn't say that.

Temari knew though, and she poked her again, "liar. I remember when you first came to us. You were heartbroken."

Well now, that wasn't _completely_ true; she was two parts heartbroken and one part accepting.

With a small slice of heart-stopping terror in there somewhere. She couldn't really remember.

"Well, yeah…I was," Hinata admitted, rolling onto her back, "but it didn't really matter then. I had…so many other things on my mind that I really didn't care much." She closed her eyes, "I mean, well, that's a lie…I did care. I cared _a lot._ I'd just…ran away. From my friends. My home. From the person I loved so much it kinda _hurt._"

She screwed up her face, thinking, "But…I think I've become better because of it. So…that's not what's wrong. Really."

"Well, if that's not it…" Matsuri placed her head on Hinata's stomach, looking at her, "then what is it?"

Hinata's shoulders began to rise in yet another shrug, when Temari said it, "well, are you two dating now?"

Hinata felt every part of her go stiff, felt the blood freeze to ice in her veins, and her heart plummeted, before it slammed violently against her ribcage. Matsuri heard the rapid beating of her heart and sat up, looking at her in concern. Temari saw the look on Hinata's face-a trapped animal, stunned, like she'd been struck across the face-and nodded.

She'd gotten her answer.

For some reason, that bothered her, so Hinata shot up, her skin burning and freezing at the same time, her heart unable to calm; a storm was brewing under her skin.

She bowed her head, letting her hair spill over her shoulders and hang around her face, "it-it doesn't-" she choked out the words, even though they burned her throat, "it doesn't-doesn't m-matter. It d-"

"You're lying again."

She fell silent at Temari's tone and hung her head even further, her hair completely obscuring her face, not letting anyone see her expression.

Matsuri kneeled at her feet, tried to brush the hair away from her face, but only stopped when Hinata kept turning away from her.

"I've got to agree with Temari this time," she said quietly, "Hinata, are you really okay with this? With just…living with him? Being friends, and not even much of that? Even though you had a _child_ together?"

Hinata shook her head wildly, "it's fine," she whispered fiercely, "it's fine! It _has_ to be fine! Because-because there's no other wa-"

"Hinata, this is ridiculous!" Temari cried out, exasperated, "how do you know that? You can't just…_settle_ like this, and assume that he doesn't even _want _you like that." Shaking her head, she gently pulled Hinata's hair away from her face, beginning to braid it as though everything was fine, when clearly, to Hinata, everything just _wasn't_.

Everything had quickly gone topsy-turvy; she was roughly shoved out of her comfort zone and left in the cold, and even though she was being pulled back to safe grounds, she felt the cold to her bones, and that nagging thought in the back of her mind, '_what if…what if…maybe, just maybe…'_

She felt her heart fill with something that felt like hope. And that scared her.

Matsuri saw the look on her face and smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face, "really, Hinata, you worry too much. It doesn't hurt to actually _talk_ to Naruto and figure things out, okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded, Temari's fingers gently combing through her hair making her sleepy.

"You really are a brave person, Hinata. Don't doubt that. Everything's going to be fine, okay?"

That night, Hinata returned home with a loose braid and a heavy heart.

Matsuri, Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro departed for home the next day; she got a text from both Temari and Matsuri, reminding her about the date of the wedding and to talk to Naruto, which made her heart sink a little more.

She didn't want to talk. She didn't want to find out what he had to say.

She didn't want things to change even more than they have.

Even though at the same time she wanted it with all she was.

_~O~_

_May 15__th__, 2008; 10:15 pm_

Hinata had been acting really, really strange for the past couple of weeks.

Ever since she came back from visiting Matsuri and Temari, she'd been really…distant. Borderline avoidant, actually.

She didn't really talk to him much, or sit near him; once, he tried to sit next to her while watching a movie, and she stiffened, quickly standing up and retreating to their room, mumbling something about taking care of Chiyo.

But Chi was asleep; he knew, because he was the one that spent twenty minutes getting her to sleep.

To be quite frank, it was bothering him. Two weeks was enough time to try and figure out what was wrong on his own. Now, it was time to ask Hinata and fix it, so things could be normal again-or, well, as normal as they'd had it, anyway.

So, when they came home from work and were getting ready for bed, he said it.

"Hinata…how come you've been avoiding me?"

She stiffened slightly at the sound of his voice, and looked down, fiddling with her hair, "I haven't…" she mumbled, her face turning red at her obvious lie. Naruto shook his head and planted himself in front of the door, blocking her chances of escape, "you're lying," he said, "you've _never_ lied to me. Hinata, did I do something wrong? That has to be why you're mad at me, right? Just tell me what I did so I-"

"Naruto…what are we?"

That question stopped him short, sucked the breath out of him, and left him gaping as he tried to find the words. "We-we're," he sputtered, "we-Hinata, we're frie-"

"Are we? Are we really?" She shook her head, "how can we go back to that? How can we be friends now, with what's happened to us?"

She gestured wildly between them, at the space that felt like the length of the Grand Canyon, "what _is_ this? What do we call this? It's not friendship, it's not…" she bit her lip, unable to say it, "tell me, Naruto. What are we?"

He pressed himself against the door, his heart pounding, unable to say anything, because he truly didn't know what they had become, either.

And Hinata knew it, too, could see it in his face, in his eyes-because he knew that nothing escaped hers. She looked down, shaking her head, "even you don't know." she murmured, "Even you don't know where we stand."

With that said she stood up from the bed and walked towards the door, brushed past him, and slipped out. And Naruto made no move to stop her.

She didn't come back into the room that night.

Naruto didn't sleep until light was filtering through the shuttered windows; he just sat on the edge of his bed, holding Chi in his arms and thinking. Sometimes he spoke softly to the sleeping infant, as though she'd come up with the answer.

He finally fell back with heavy, scratchy eyes, staring at the red lights of the clock as it blindingly declared that it was five in the morning.

As he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off, he thought he heard soft crying coming from the living room.

* * *

**_Did I do okay? It's been a while, so I'd truly like to know. So...yeah._**

**_Until next time! I'll try and update soon, I promise._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Last chapter? Hell to the yeah._**

**_Fina-freakin'-lly. How long has it been? Oh, my, it's been ages, hasn't it? Ah, I can't tell...I'm tired._**

**_I hope I did okay. I did all of this half-asleep, so if there are any mistakes, let me know_**

**_Oh! Also! Song used: Sleeping Beauty by Miku Hatsune (but I like the cover by Akiaine more; same song, more passion. I recommend that one.)_**

* * *

_May 22nd, 2008; 11:54 pm_

_"K__ono basho ni wa nanimo nai kimi no kanshoku sae__I_

_tsunomanika mebaeta kanashimi wo nokoshite__"_

Naruto smiled woodenly as he handed a drink to a person waiting at the bar, his eyes occasionally straying up to the stage where Hinata stood, hidden slightly by dark blue lights. She looked as tired as he felt, wearing a simple white dress with black trim and stockings, her hair in a simple ponytail. Here, at work, was probably the most he'd seen her in days.

Two weeks.

Two weeks have gone by since their…he didn't even know what it was; a falling out? An argument? The proper labeling escaped him, but since that day, Hinata avoided him, and Naruto made no move to stop her. To be truly honest, even though he missed having Hinata at his side, he welcomed the space with open arms; it gave him the time to truly think, to try and find an answer for the question Hinata gave him days ago.

_"K__aze no iro mo midori no ne mo atashi wa tsukamenai_

_K__imi ga soko ni iru koto wa wakatteru noni__…"_

The brightness of the lights suddenly increased, making Naruto lose his train of thought and squint as a headache flared to life behind his left eye. But it didn't really matter much; most of the club had stopped and turned to the stage as Hinata began to sing with more heart than they've ever heard, knocking the wind out of all of them.

_"Y__asashii koe de atashi wo yonde_

_G__arasu no mukou de hohoende__"_

Naruto felt his ribcage rattle at the combined force of the music and her voice, and he shoved his trembling hands into his pockets, his mind, once again, trying to pin down just _what they were._

_'What is this? What do we call this? It's not friendship, it's not….tell me. What are we?'_

Hinata was right; they weren't really friends and they weren't really lovers. They were in some gray area, a newfound, unknown area that they just couldn't name. And it appeared to scare Hinata as much as it scared him.

He leaned on the counter, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. He pressed his forehead into his palms, frustrated; he wasn't getting anywhere, really. He was making his mind constantly run in circles, and he was just so…._tired_. All the time. It was like the weeks before Hinata returned home; he couldn't sleep that well anymore, staying up until the early hours of the morning, pacing, thinking, holding Chiyo and just…looking at her. Wondering.

And in the living room, he heard, every night, that Hinata was still awake as well, the T.V. going on until four or five in the morning; sometimes, he heard her walking around the living room, other times, she walked down the hall and just stood in front of the door to the room.

She never came inside.

A high scream broke through his thoughts and Naruto's head jerked up, startled. He looked around wildly, only relaxing when he realized the scream had come from Hinata. He relaxed, running a hand over his face as he sighed heavily, and pushed himself off the bar's counter.

"Naruto."

At the sound of his name, he turned back, facing Neji, who was looking at him with some concern. Naruto grinned at him, the gesture tired, "Neji, hey. How are you?" Neji shrugged, his own well-being not really his concern, "I'm fine. But that's not why I'm here…"

Naruto's smile fell at that, and he sighed, "Hinata talked to Tenten?"

"She calls her every day," he admitted, "she sounds almost as bad as you look. No offense." Naruto shrugged, "none taken. It's the truth; neither of us have been sleeping very well. I take it that you know why."

Neji nodded, "yeah…Hinata talked to us about that, too."

_"S__ubete wo sutete__,__ kocchi wo muite__."_

He gestured helplessly, "I just….I don't really know what to do. Hinata's right; I really don't know what we are right now. We're not friends, not lovers, we're just…something. It's a grey area. It's _terrifying._"

"Well…things change, Naruto."

Neji leaned onto the bar, placing his chin in his hands, "not everything always stays the same. _Something_ changes for everyone, y'know; and, well, it's scary, yeah, but _all_ changes or opportunities and such are scary at first."

Naruto stared at Neji, absorbing the small piece of advice he was given. Finally, he smiled, a real, true, huge smile.

_"A__karui basho de utawasete__"_

"Neji," he sighed, feeling his shoulders relax slightly, "thank you. That…that helps. It makes me feel a little stupid, really." He grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "why on earth didn't I realize that?"

"Probably because you haven't been sleeping right for almost two weeks?" Neji asked, "Plus, you're not that smart to begin with-"

"Hey, now, that's not true!" Naruto protested, "I take care of the bills and budgeting and crap for this club, and, _and!_ My English is freaking _flawless_. And-"

_"Y__asashii koe de atashi wo yonde_

_G__arasu no mukou de hohoende__."_

They both turned, their conversation cut off as they looked at Hinata on the stage, her head tipped back slightly, eyes closed, just singing, singing, singing. Neji turned back to him, "you will talk to her." He stated, "No exceptions. You have to talk to her about this. As soon as you can, okay?"

Naruto nodded, his eyes not leaving the stage and the person who stood upon it, "yeah, Neji. I will. I'll talk to her. As soon as I can. I'll do my best."

"I know you will, Naruto," Neji sighed, "I know you will. You always do."

_"H__ohoende__."_

The night quickly passed, and Naruto and Hinata returned home, exhausted, and quickly went to bed. But not in the same room. Naruto tried, he really tried, but she just wouldn't talk to him.

She danced away from him for two more days.

_~O~_

_May 25th, 2008; 2:45 am_

Hinata rolled over onto her stomach and stared blearily at the television. It was almost three in the morning, and she _still_ couldn't sleep.

Almost two weeks of getting little to no sleep was finally getting to her; days were beginning to pass by in a dreamy haze, her eyes almost always at half mast, as she went through the day like the waking dead. She blinked slowly, her eyes sliding slowly to Naruto's closed door, where she knew he was sitting there, still awake.

"I wonder why," she wondered aloud, "I just don't go back into our room."

She went quiet at the thought, her heartbeat picking up just a little bit more at the slip-that wasn't really a slip, honestly, she _did_ sleep there-

Ugh. She was starting to ramble.

Sighing, Hinata pushed herself up, leaning into the couch in exhaustion, "maybe I'm being silly," she said to herself, "something like this…it's not worth all this distance, is it?" Well, at first, it was; she needed that distance, _craved_ it, just so she could have the time to think about their predicament on her own terms. And she did; she thought and thought and thought…and she still couldn't come up with a name for their predicament.

And all the while, Naruto avoided her as much as she avoided sometimes, she caught him staring at her, his eyes thoughtful, probing, and filled with exhaustion. She knew he wasn't sleeping, either; he heard him pacing the room, sometimes talking to Chiyo. She knew that because she stood outside the door sometimes, her hand on the knob, willing herself to go back inside, to curl up to his side and finally get the rest she wanted.

But always, always, Hinata chickened out, and retreated back to the living room.

Wrapping her blanket around herself, Hinata sighed, closing her eyes and hanging her head; why did she make everything so difficult? She should just go in there and actually _talk_ to him…Something so simple shouldn't feel so hard. All she had to do was get up, go to the door, slip inside, and finally, finally they'd be able to talk, and she could have the rest she wanted-

"…Hi-Hinata?"

Jerked out of her trance, she blinked, looked around, and eventually stared into Naruto's shocked eyes. He'd just put Chiyo back in her crib when the door suddenly opened and Hinata slipped walked in, closing the door behind her. Her eyes were glassy, her blanket wrapped tight around her as she just stood there, staring at nothing.

It surprised him, and it took him a while to finally gather the nerve and say her name, snapping her out of her trance.

For a while, they just stood there, staring at each other, unable to find the words to say. Finally, Naruto sighed, closing his eyes, and scratched his head, moving towards the bed.

Eventually, Hinata slowly, hesitantly, followed after him.

Once under the blankets, they just laid there, staring at each other, saying , Hinata slowly scooted closer, and Naruto loosely wrapped his arms around her, sighing softly. "I'm sorry," she finally said, her voice slurred slightly, "I'm sorry for avoiding you for so long. I just-"

"I know," he interrupted gently, "you needed to think. I know. I did, too. You don't need to apologize. I…I'm…" He shook his head, "I feel like I should apologize, too. I don't know where we stand, and I-"

"It wasn't fair of me to expect that from you," she cut him off, her eyes sliding closed, "it's okay to not have all the answers. We…we'll figure it out, right?" Naruto hummed softly, and looked down at her; Hinata's eyes were shut, and her breathing slowed, deepened, almost asleep.

"Well," he whispered, his own eyes closing as well, "I think I might've figured it out already, Hinata."

She didn't hear him, though. She had finally, finally, fallen into the deepest sleep she'd had in weeks.

And eventually, Naruto followed her too.

_~O~_

_'Ring-ring…ring-ring…ring-ring…ring-ring…'_

That phone was starting to become damn annoying.

Naruto sighed heavily, burrowing deeper beneath the blankets, strands of Hinata's hair tickling his nose slightly. In response to his movement, Hinata grumbled something, pressing in closer to him, a hand fisted into his shirt.

He was hovering, in the place between wakefulness and sleeping, and he was almost, _almost_ asleep…Until the phone started to ring again.

Growling in frustration, he pushed himself up, rolling out of bed and stumbling blindly for the phone. Eventually, he reached it, and pressed it to his ear, leaning heavily against the wall. "Hello?" he croaked, his heavy eyes already slowly sliding shut.

"You do know," a terse voice said, "that the wedding is _today_, right? _Today?_"

Naruto was awake when he heard that, his spine ramrod straight, eyes wide open, "Gaara?" he gasped, "it's the-" he looked at the calendar hanging on the wall in the kitchen, and went pale. "Oh," he breathed, "oh _shit._ Gaara, Gaara, I'm _so sorry._ There-Hinata and I had this problem, and we'd-"

"You're on the way, right?" Gaara interrupted, his voice tense, "on the way, like, _right now?_"

Naruto nodded, even though he knew Gaara couldn't see it, "yeah, yeah, we are! Hinata and I are leaving right now!"

"You better be."

Gaara hung up, and Naruto stared down at the phone, eyes wide, before he placed it back in the cradle and ran back to their room."Hinata!" he said frantically, shaking her gently, "Hinata, c'mon, you've gotta wake up! Now!"

She groaned, and cracked one eye open, glaring at him, "I don't _want-_"

"You have to, Hina! The wedding! We forgot about the wedding! It's today! _The wedding is today!_"

Hinata's facial expressions changed rapidly, from annoyance to confusion, to shock to horror, and she shot out of the bed. "Oh!" she cried out, pulling her shirt over her head, "Oh my God! How could we forget about _the wedding_ of all things?"

"I don't know, I don't-ugh! It's just…" Naruto hopped around, pulling a pair of jeans up his legs, "it's just been a really, really _shitty_ couple of weeks."

"You're telling me," she muttered, pulling her hair out of its loose, messy ponytail. "Wait," Naruto froze, his shirt halfway pulled on, "_how are we going to get there?_"

Hinata stiffened before collapsing onto the bed, burying her face into her hands, "oh Goooood, we're going to miss the wedding and Matsuri and Gaara are going to be so disappointed and they're gonna hate us for the rest of for_ever_."

Naruto pulled his shirt on and sighed, tugging sharply on his hair, "we're gonna need to buy a car," he mumbled, "Hinata, call someone! Anyone, it doesn't matter! We've just…have to get there. Immediately. Our lives are at stake."

Hinata reached for her cell phone as Naruto pulled a sleeping Chiyo out of her crib; the baby squealed in protest, its cries quickly silenced as Naruto cradled her against his chest, rocking her back to sleep.

"Hello? Tenten? Hi! Yeah, it's me…I do, thank you. Yes, everything's okay now." Hinata smiled, and Naruto realized how much he'd missed her smile, "thanks, Tenten. Anyway-I called for a favor. I…well…"

She bit her lip and glanced over at Naruto, who raised an eyebrow in question, "well, Tenten…how do you feel about going to a wedding?"

_~O~_

"_Ow!_ U-uh, I-I wasn't _that_ late, and I _said I was sorry-ah!_ Temari, that _hurt_."

Hinata moaned in pain as Temari roughly pulled a brush through her hair, tears of pain lightly stinging her eyes. The hot curler came dangerously close to her skin, and Hinata cringed, a fresh curl flopping against her cheek.

"We…we…" the treatment to her hair was leaving her breathless, the sharp tugs breaking her thought process, "we had a falling out! We-_ow-_we didn't _know_ wh-what we-ah!-what we were! We didn't ta-talk for t-_two weeks._ _We weren't sleeping._"

All movement stopped, and Hinata knew she had Matsuri and Temari's attention. She pushed on, relieved, "we talked about it a little bit last night, but…we were so _tired._ We didn't mean to forget, honest; I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Nezumi."

Matsuri sighed, and gently shooed Temari aside, her hands gentle in Hinata's hair, "it's okay," she said softly, "it's…I understand. It's alright." Temari smiled, too, kneeling down to look Hinata in the eye, "yeah, it's fine. I'm sorry for being so rough on your hair"

Hinata hummed a response and closed her eyes, relaxing as Matsuri gently combed her hair and gathered it into her hands to put it in an up do. "Don't fall asleep on me yet, Hina. We've still gotta put on your dress.""Hmm, I'll try…."

Silence. Quiet conversation. Suddenly, a loud yelp.

"Ouch! Matsuri, the curler _burned my ear_!"

"Sorry! It was hard; you were flopping all over the place!"

"Owowowow, my _eaaaaar_…"

~O~

Naruto was not ashamed to admit he was afraid; he would say it bluntly, with a hilariously straight face. He didn't really believe there was nothing wrong with admitting his fears; the sooner they were out, the sooner they were conquered.

Today…today was one of those moments.

"Kankuro," Naruto said bluntly, "I'm really scared right now. Gaara's scaring me. He's your brother; make him stop."

All this was said with a straight face as he straightened his tie in the mirror, trying not to look at Gaara as he prowled nervously around the room, his eyes dark. Kankuro shrugged, "he's kinda nervous. And he's still kind of miffed at you, so there's that, too. What do you want me to do?"

"I dunno? Maybe call a priest?"

Tie finally fixed the way he wanted, Naruto swiveled around, "and I _explained_ why we were late and-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, we know. Spare me. I don't want to hear it again." Naruto made a face at him, leaning his elbow on his knee and placing his chin in his palm, "besides," he continued, "did you see the glare he gave me when I walked in? And even after that? That thing has the potential to kill a person, if he focuses hard enough."

He felt a chill run down his spine, knowing that Gaara had heard him and was directing said glare in his direction.

Maybe he really should call that priest; Gaara was being meaner than usual. That had to mean he was possessed, right?

Before he could come to a conclusion, there was a loud knocking at the door, followed by a muffled baby's squeal."Hey, guys!" Tenten's voice came muffled through the door, "I just came to fetch you; it's time! So hurry up!"

Her announcement made, she turned away from the door, and the men listened to the soft clicking of her heels as she walked away. Kankuro sighed softly, and Naruto stood up and stretched, groaning in pleasure as bones popped back into place, "alright! Time to go!"

As they headed to the door, Naruto looked back at Gaara, who was suddenly frozen. His tie was slightly crooked, and he was staring at himself in the mirror as though he couldn't really believe that this was happening to him. Heaving another sigh, Naruto smiled, and reached out, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder, "your tie's messed up, dude. Turn around, let me fix it."

As he fixed the tie, Naruto grinned, "you're lucky, Gaara! Out of all of us, you're the one getting hitched first! Lots of people probably said that to them, your predicament's like…going to prison, or something, but…trust me-you're lucky. This just means you're legit certain; you've definitely found the one you're gonna spend the rest of your life with."

Naruto stepped back and nodded, satisfied with his work, and clapped his hands on Gaara's shoulders, who looked more relaxed than he did all day.

Naruto grinned at him, and was pleased to see Gaara give him a small smile back, "alright! Come on," he grabbed him by the shoulder, steered him to the door, where Kankuro was waiting, "let's go and make Miss Matsuri a Subaku."

_~O~_

"Um…hi."

Naruto turned away from the open doors of the small church, where Gaara was waiting at the altar, and faced the person who spoke to him. But when he did, his mouth dropped open, and all coherent thought left his mind.

Now he won't lie, no matter how confusing their relationship was, Naruto always thought Hinata was pretty. She could be sleep deprived and overworked, her hair in a ponytail and wearing one of his shirts, and she'd still be the prettiest thing he'd ever seen, still able to carry an air of grace through her exhaustion.

But today…he could use all the words in the world, all the synonyms for beautiful, and he still wouldn't be able to hit the mark. "You-" his voice cracked slightly, and he coughed, flushing slightly, making Hinata giggle, "you-you look…good." He finished lamely, and Hinata laughed again; he couldn't stop staring at her crimson lips as they curled up with her smile.

"Thanks, Naruto;" she touched her hip, feeling the silky fabric of the blue dress, before reaching up and straightening the lapels of his suit, "you look good, too. Very handsome."

Naruto opened his mouth, about to say something, but before he could, music began to play, and Temari strode up, tapping them both on the head with her bouquet, "c'mon, you two, get into place; it's show time."

Hinata smiled, and Naruto made a face at her, before offering his arm. Grabbing her own bouquet, Hinata reached out and placed her hand over his, twining their fingers together. Temari and Kankuro, as the Best Man and Maid of Honor, went first, striding up the aisle and grinning at the guests as they took their places. Naruto and Hinata, as the only bridesmaid and groomsman, strode out, squeezing each other's hands as everyone stared at their procession. They separated, taking their places, and everyone turned, staring, as Matsuri, dressed in white and her face redder than anything at the eyes on her, finally appeared.

The ceremony began.

The vows weren't long winded speeches, or loud declarations of love; they were soft. They were short. They were sweet. It was so simple…so perfect. So much so, that Hinata had to hold back tears, lest she ruined her makeup and Temari would kill her there on the spot.

So she held them in, and she smiled, and she finally let them spill over as Matsuri and Gaara were finally made husband and wife, and he could kiss the bride.

_~O~_

When the reception began, Naruto and Hinata plopped into the first seats they could find, sighing heavily. "I'd never been so scared in my entire life," Naruto stated bluntly, running a hand through his hair, "Gaara was giving me glares that had the power to kill a person. I kinda thought he was possessed."

Hinata laughed softly, sighing as she finally took out the last pin in her hair, letting it fall down in curly waves. She groaned, pressing her fingers against her tender scalp, "they kind of abused my hair at first," she admitted, "but they kinda forgave me in the end. I fell asleep on her, so when she curled my hair, she burned me a bit." She pulled back her hair, showing a few tiny burns on her ear and the nape of her neck.

Naruto winced in sympathy, letting his hands run lightly over the burns, and Hinata sighed, closing her eyes.

"Ha! I finally found you two!" they looked up as Tenten strode towards them, Chiyo in her arms. Tenten grinned at whatever it was she saw, and took a small step back, "well…I was going to give Chi here back to you, but…I think I'll keep her to myself for a little bit longer. You won't mind, will you? I can start early, and officially earn a place as the best aunt ever."

She winked at them and blew them a kiss, turning back to her seat to watch Matsuri and Gaara complete their first dance as husband and wife. As they watched, Hinata leaned against Naruto's shoulder, rubbing at one of her eyes, suddenly exhausted, and Naruto wrapped an arm around her waist, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. He closed his eyes, starting to drift off, until Neji's words from so many nights ago started to echo in his head.

'_Not everything stays the same…some things have to change. And changes, opportunities and such are always scary at first.'_

Blinking, Naruto sat straight, pulling Hinata closer to him, making her look up at him curiously. He hooked another arm at the back of her knees, and pulled her into his lap, ignoring her squeak of protest. "Hey…Hinata?" he wound a lock of her hair around his finger, "…everything changes, y'know? Something, somewhere in someone's life always changes."

By now, Hinata was silent, listening, her body relaxing bit by bit as Naruto went on. "And…and…change is always scary at first. For everything. A new job…moving…having a family. It's always scary at first, because it's different and new, and just not in our comfort zone."

Slowly, Hinata leaned into him, pressing her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat and whatever it was he had to say. Feeling like he was rambling, Naruto grinned sheepishly, using his free hand to scratch at his head, "I guess…what I'm trying to say is, well…Hinata, it's okay. We don't know where we stand, yeah, and it's gonna be scary for a while, because it's different, and we're not used to it, but…"

He fell silent, thinking, before nodding decisively, "Hinata…we're something. I don't know what we are…but we're something. Something good."

It was like a tiny part of her that was frozen had finally melted, and she felt warm all over; her shoulders finally relaxed, and her lips twitched, the beginnings of a smile.

She looked up at him, her expression giving nothing away, and he stared back, his heart pounding nervously. She reached out, gently stroking his cheek. He sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned into the touch, comforted.

He only opened his eyes when her touch retreated, reaching out to grab his tie, instead. His heart squeezed, and he began to sputter before he was pulled to her level.

Naruto was able to see the mischievous smile that graced her lips before she kissed him.

If they looked up, they would've seen Tenten give a fist pump of victory, before going out to the dance floor, Chiyo in her arms, to squeal to the others about what she just saw.

But they didn't care; they were preoccupied with something…Something good.

* * *

**_Holy damn, that ending. I don't like it much_****_._**

**_Did you like it? If you did, then you'd review, right? Yes._**

**_So, yeah! It's done! I finally got rid of the clingy whore called Writer's Block and finished this! Now I can finally start on the sequel! Yay!_**


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